It is a fair expectation that the Government should be able to provide the right number of homes for you and your family. However, it must also be recognised that these homes need to be affordable and located in right places, with the right infrastructure in place to support families.
Our constituency is one of unique beauty, with an estimated 80 - 85% of Bexhill and Battle falling within protected landscape status. This includes the ancient countryside of the High Weald National Landscape, a nationally treasured environment that draws so many people to our area. The current methods used by the Government to calculate housing targets do not adequately account for these constraints and applying them without flexibility risks endangering both the natural beauty and distinct character of our community.
This challenge is compounded by the very real infrastructure shortages faced by both Rother and Wealden. Families depend on reliable transport, utilities, healthcare, and community facilities - yet these are already under pressure. It is therefore difficult to see how areas such as Rother could realistically accommodate the scale of housing growth currently being proposed.
Currently, Rother is expected to deliver 15,504 new homes by 2042 equating to 912 homes every year for the next 17 years. Meanwhile, Wealden’s annual target is set to rise from 1,200 to over 1,450 homes per year. Both councils have made clear that these figures are unrealistic and undeliverable under current conditions.
Following a request from the Labour Mayor, the Government has adjusted housing targets in London, where housebuilding can and should be prioritised, rather than expecting rural areas like ours to shoulder a disproportionate burden. This shows that flexibility is possible, and it is only right that the same approach is applied to communities like ours. People will rightly question whether Labour are more willing to help their political friends.
Planning and housebuilding reforms are frequently changing, creating confusion and delay rather than clarity and progress. It is also worth noting that, in Rother District alone, there are currently 3,388 homes with planning permission that remain unbuilt. While many of these will be completed over time, the number fluctuates as permissions are granted and expire. This highlights an important point: the issue is not simply about granting more permissions, but about ensuring that approved developments are actually delivered on time.
This is not a fair deal for you and your family, and there is a better way.
That is why I have written to the Minister for Housing and Planning to raise these concerns and to stand up for the protected landscapes that define our constituency. In doing so, I have also put forward constructive proposals for reform.
These include introducing differentiated housing calculations for constituencies with environmental protections, like ours; investing in rural infrastructure so that services are in place before development takes place; making meaningful updates to the National Planning Policy Framework as it applies to protected areas; and ensuring that developers build the homes they are granted permission for, without unnecessary delay.
We all have a responsibility to protect the natural beauty that makes the Bexhill and Battle constituency one of the most unique places to live. The Government should not overlook what we are so fortunate to have on our doorstep. I hope that Ministers will take a more balanced and honest approach to assessing what is genuinely viable, without putting at risk the irreplaceable character of our landscapes.