Development in churchyard turned down

At a virtual meeting on Thursday (June 18), Rother District Council’s planning committee refused outline proposals to build a two-storey detached house on land around 100m south of the Grade II* listed St Mary Magdalene Church in Whatlington.

The sale of this housing land had been intended to fund the construction of a new car park for the church, a move ward councillor Vikki Cook (Lib Dem) argued would benefit the church community.

Rother planning officers, however, had recommended the proposals be refused, as they considered the construction of the house would cause more harm than the car park would bring in terms of benefits.

Cllr Cook said: “This is more than just an application for just another dwelling. [The applicant] Mrs Butcher, the daughter of a minister, has followed the biblical examples of the early disciples by giving what she has to the church.

“In this case a field, with the intention that the proceeds of the sale of some of this land to enable the funding of a car park on the rest.”

Cllr Cook said the church currently relies on using the village hall car park, which was not always available. Even so, she said, this was some distance from the church and required sometimes elderly parishioners to walk uphill over uneven ground.  

While there was also some more accessible parking nearer to the church, Cllr Cook said, this was provided through an informal arrangement by a home owner and could be withdrawn by a new owner in future.

Cllr Cook added: “The only way forward is that it be granted outline planning permission so that the land can be sold to a developer and the village provided with a car park, to ensure the preservation of this historic  church building. 

“Let us stand firm against a society that looks for reasons not to do things, but to be a council who looks for reasons to do things and say yes to this application.”

Although this argument won support from some committee members, others preferred the officers’ view that the housing would cause more damage to the area than the car park would benefit it. 

Planning officers said the development was considered to go against sustainable planning policies and potentially damage the historic setting of the area, but said this recommendation had been reached ‘on balance’. 

Historic England, however, said it considered the damage done would be “less than substantial.”

Despite this, the planning officers’ view was supported by several committee members, including Cllr Richard Thomas (Lib Dem, Bexhill St Stephens).

Cllr Thomas said: “This is a very beautiful church and it is in a very special setting. You go up quite a steep path to it and there is a sense of going into another world when you go up there, and it is a place of great peace and great tranquillity.

“When you are actually in the churchyard  you can see, quite simply, green fields. There is a house but it is very, very screened and it doesn’t intrude in any serious way.

“If this development does go ahead there is no doubt that you will be able to see the car park and you will be able to see a very substantial house. That will make a very great difference to the setting of the church.

“Whatever different conservation people may say about the degree of disturbance, to my mind it would be a very substantial change and it isn’t the norm for 13th century churches to be accompanied by car parks.” 

Cllr Thomas added that there would be other “non-polluting” ways of improving parking at and access to the church.

Following a lengthy discussion the proposal was ultimately refused on a vote of 12 to two.

A Grade II* listed building, the church was largely built in the 13th century, albeit with some heavy 19th renovations.

According to a heritage statement included in the planning papers, it is possible the building as it stands was first built even earlier, but no evidence remains.

However, local tradition maintains that a church of some form has been on the land since before the Norman Conquest, with Harold Godwinson said to have heard mass in a chapel there on the eve of the Battle of Hastings.

The church was badly damaged in July 2010 after a fire broke out in the organ loft. A restoration effort was completed in 2014.

For further information on the proposals see application reference RR/2019/2758/P on the Rother District Council planning website.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.