Angry neighbours confront Battle council over homes '˜support'

Battle Town Council (BTC) made no objection to Millwood Designer Homes’ application to build up to 50 homes on Lillybank Farm off London Road.

But many neighbours have voiced their concerns with the proposal and wanted to show their disappointment that BTC did not object.

“We’re here to ask questions and to find out why this was supported, but also to express our disappointment in the council that is supposed to represent us as a community and our views, and I don’t think any of us feel that’s happened,” one woman said.

The neighbours could not understand why Rother District Council’s (RDC) website says BTC supports the plan despite Millwood’s unsuccessful bid for a similar development in 2000.

Clerk Andy Beams said during the meeting when submitting BTC’s response as a consultant, the only options were support or object, and as there were no planning reasons why it could object, he had to choose support.

Planning and transport committee chairman Richard Jessop told the residents BTC never said it supported the development, instead saying it wanted to work with Millwood to address issues including the access via London Road.

But many residents of Wattle’s Wish, which is adjacent to the site, were disappointed claiming BTC did not represent the town and were not satisfied with Cllr Jessop’s answers.

The neighbours criticised the fact that only three councillors decided on its response to the application and believed they could not have their say because they did not know about the proposal before BTC discussed it.

Millwood’s application for 70 homes on the same field was turned down by RDC 16 years ago and the residents could not understand how the issues cited, which they believed had not changed, were not reasons for BTC to object this time.

One woman, a tourist from Greenwich, London, said the ‘countrified’ look of the town would be ‘changed forever’ if the proposal goes ahead.

The planning committee chairman encouraged residents to lobby RDC as it is the body that will make a decision on the application, not BTC, whose response could not be changed.

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