Reading through the recently published public notices, curiosity got the better of me when I came across a recent planning application, RR/2022/1609/L on Rother District Council’s planning section of their website. The owners of the property, Leasam House, Leasam Lane, Rye (you know the one, the magnificent pink coloured mansion set into the hill above the Valley Park development) have submitted a planning application for “an underground survival shelter to front of property with two entrances from ground level”.
Of course, the owners have every right to apply for whatever they want, after all it’s their property but after looking at the plans online I was intrigued by the scale of what is proposed: a four-bedroomed shelter linked to the main house (an engineering challenge by anyone’s standards) and an application which will involve many specialists along the journey. If successful, the finished building will be very substantial and possibly unique to this area. The published date by which a decision is due is September 22.
Another interesting application, also available to view online, is under reference RR/2019/785/P . Here, planning permission was granted on August 25 this year giving permission for “3G synthetic football pitch with goal recesses, spectator area, floodlights, perimeter fencing and changing facilities”. This permission refers to Rye College / Community Primary School at The Grove in Rye.
Falling foul of the planners is not without its consequences and building without the necessary consents can backfire dramatically like the case below, where Rother District Council have secured a successful prosecution against a homeowner in Broad Oak, Brede who failed to comply with a planning enforcement notice having built a large summer house without the proper consent.
After failing to respond to letters from the Local Authority and a subsequent Planning Enforcement Notice, the property owner in Reedswood Road, was prosecuted by the Council and pleaded guilty in the Magistrates’ Court on December 14, 2021 to failing to comply with an Enforcement Notice.
He was sentenced to a fine of £1,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,213.68 and a £100 victim surcharge. He was then given a deadline of March 15, 2022 to remove the summerhouse structure but refused to comply. This triggered the Local Authority to take enforcement action to remove the summerhouse over the ongoing planning breach.
On Thursday, August 11 Council Planning Enforcement Officers, working alongside a specialist remedial action company, removed the structure, including its foundations, and returned the land to its former condition.
Cllr Vine-Hall, Rother District Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “This case goes to show that ignoring the Local Planning Authority, and in particular served Enforcement Notices, can have severe outcomes.
“Taking this course of action is not something we do lightly but we won’t hesitate when all other avenues have failed in order to avoid unauthorised developments which have a detrimental effect on residents.”
Image Credits: Rye News library .
With regard to Rother, I am surprised that to date little has been said about the District Council’s plans- now out for consultation- to redevelop the Bexhill Town Hall at a cost of £15m – which is probably just the starting figure and where it is being claimed the project is self-funding without any claim on the Council Tax payers – really?
In am in agreement with Michael’s comments.The first that I heard of it was in my regular E-mail from Rother (Rother Alerts) giving me local updates re refuse disposal planning applications etc. There was an explanation of what their proposals are, a short film and on 8th September residents in Battle and Rye will have the opportunity to learn more and to have their say. The Rye session will be between 4 and 7pm in the St Mary’s Centre.
Wow! just heard that the old union workhouse building on Hilltop Dr was delisted. Finally an opportunity for someone to come and do something with this property that was a sore to the eye for so long. Can’t wait to see what’s in plan for that gorgeous site.
It would be great if Nick could update Rye news readers at least once a month,on planning issues.just like we used to see in the local paper.
Quite agree with John’s comments. Found Nick’s article very interesting.