Blog

31 local households looking for new homes​

31 local households are looking for new homes says Neighbourhood Plan housing survey

Following the Neighbourhood Plan Local Housing Demand Survey, which was conducted across Hurst Green from March to May 2019, we’re pleased to share the results. We are grateful to the many residents (over 40% of households) who returned the survey, and to the community cafe and the local businesses who served as collection points for the responses.

The design, the hand-delivery of each survey and the subsequent analysis was freely undertaken by volunteers from the Neighbourhood Plan and by Parish Councillors. This meant that whilst this survey delivers high value, it was produced at a very low cost to the taxpayer, around £130 to print and staple the surveys.

The last local housing survey of this type was conducted ten years ago. Indeed the data driving Rother District Council’s Housing Plan (published in January 2019) is based on the ‘Rother Housing Needs Survey’ which was conducted 14 years ago in 2005, and was updated in 2012.  So as well as being many years out of date, the previous District Council studies only looked at Hurst Green in the context of an area described as ‘rural Rother’. This area also included Burwash, Etchingham and Ticehurst and used only a limited postal sampling methodology – so an updated survey was somewhat needed to help understand the housing needs of local people in Hurst Green, and we think it has delivered.

Summary of results, as of May 2019:

  • 72% of households say that the Hurst Green area is their preferred place to live.
  • 22% of households are living in accommodation that is not suitable for their needs.
  • 28% of households say that the Hurst Green area is not their preferred place to live. Top reasons being: a) limited facilities, b) road noise and traffic and c) it being difficult to meet people and make friends. 
  • 23 local households are looking for homes within Hurst Green village.
  • 3 local households are looking for homes in the Silver Hill area.
  • 4 local households are looking for homes elsewhere within the Hurst Green parish boundaries (rural Hurst Green).
  • Taking into account homes currently on the market and the likely migration of new residents into Hurst Green village (based on analysis between 2014-2019) there is an oversupply of flat/ maisonette/ apartment/ bedsit homes and an oversupply of non-detached homes.
  • Taking into account homes currently on the market and the likely migration of new residents into Hurst Green village (based on analysis between 2014-2019) there is a specific local demand now for 16 new dwellings, including 6 new detached dwellings, 3 new bungalows, 2 new sheltered / retirement dwellings and some 5 new additional dwellings.

Read the full survey results:
Evidence #35 – Hurst Green local housing demand survey

 

In other news
picture of Steve presenting at a public meeting

Neighbourhood Plan Aims & Vision

Our Neighbourhood Plan Vision and Aims

Using the feedback from resident surveys and from public events held throughout 2018 and 2019, our community has decided that our vision for our Neighbourhood Plan is:

Health and Happiness

Hurst Green will become a thriving, safe and friendly village within the High Weald, along with the hamlets of Swiftsden and Silver Hill, which foster a healthy lifestyle and encourage residents to live active, social and meaningful lives.

Business, Economy and Tourism

We will strongly support local prosperity and will create a thriving village community, that supports existing and new local businesses, and seeks to boast a prosperous, well-presented village, where people want to live, work and visit.

Housing

We will support sustainable and sensitive housing development that enables us to deliver on our vision and objectives, developing the facilities that are needed to address the current and future needs of our community.

Travel and Transport

We will seek to remove all non-local traffic from the Parish’s existing roads, creating an environment that reduces the speed of motor traffic and encourages walking, cycling and low carbon transport over car-use for shorter journeys.

Land and Nature

We will go to great lengths to protect and promote our outstanding natural environment and will seek to improve access to the countryside and our nearby green spaces, restoring land for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Aims

To help us deliver our vision, the following 9 aims have been developed by the community for the Neighbourhood Plan, these are:

1) Protect against inappropriate and speculative development and to provide guidance and greater influence over how Hurst Green should be developed in the future.

2) Improve public safety and reduce the harmful impact of road traffic, while providing sufficient parking for the community.

3) Develop local planning policies for Hurst Green which development proposals should adhere to.

4) Create an environment that encourages residents to live active, social, meaningful lives that promote good health and well-being.

5) Bring forward action on facilities and improvements, which are needed by the village of Hurst Green; and the hamlets of Silver Hill and Swiftsden.

6) Improve the visual appearance and overall perception of Hurst Green as a place where people want to live, work and visit.

7) Enhance our existing, and create new open green spaces and improve access to the countryside.

8) Increase business, retail and tourism opportunities to encourage local employment, and grow the local economy.

9) Conserve and enhance the built and historic environment and improve the general street scene around the parish.

Together we can succeed where other communities have failed. To volunteer, or if you are interested in finding out more, please contact  Steve or Andrew by completing our expression of interest form.

In other news

Call for volunteers for action groups

Call for volunteers for action groups... Be the change...

Now it’s time to turn the Hurst Green 2030 vision into reality, we’d like to get started by creating volunteer groups to bring together interested individuals who could take forward specific areas of the vision.

If you’d be interested in volunteering to join one of the community action groups to help:

– Give the children’s park at Lodge field a significant upgrade…

– Develop a new nature reserve at Stage field, Silver Hill…

– Create a new public family park (at a location to be determined)…

– Devise and deliver an upgrade to the sporting facilities at Drewitt’s field…

– Donate your skills to deliver any area of the vision you’re passionate about…

We’d love to hear from you. There’s no minimum time commitment and absolutely no pressure – it’s about bringing like minded people together who are passionate about making things better in our community.

Together we can succeed where other communities have failed. To volunteer, or if you are interested in finding out more, please contact Elaine, Steve or Andrew by completing our expression of interest form.

In other news
map of proposed block plan for HG 23 site

New London Road planning application​

New London Road planning application

* Update April 2020 – refused by Rother District Council 14th October 2019 and subsequently refused at Appeal on the 1st of April 2020. *

Rother District Council have informed the Hurst Green Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group that the developers behind the HG 23 site, (which is adjacent to Pentwood Place on London Road), have applied for outline planning permission ahead of the Neighbourhood Plan being completed.  

Selected items relating to the application:

  • The outline application is for one, 4/5-bedroom detached home.
  • The proposal doesn’t include provision for affordable housing.
  • The site is situated at the north end of Hurst Green village, and is outside of the development boundary of Hurst Green village.

View the application and read the supporting documents here:

http://planweb01.rother.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/planningDetails?reference=RR/2019/1784/P

In other news