Goddens Gill Action Group - GGAG

Dear Resident,


Greymoor have put a letter through our doors stating that they will be starting work immediately, in fact they will be starting Monday 6th June.

Shockingly it appears the ESCC Highways are in collusion with Greymoor and have told them that they do not require a 'Stopping Up Order'. This is a document that allows the developer to turn the parking bays into the entrance road.

If you remember we all wrote letters about five years ago when the previous developer applied for a 'Stopping Up Order'. At that point the previous developer was unable to propose a solution to the lack of parking spaces in The Paddock and left the development un-started.

This time round ESCC are trying to prevent us from raising these same concerns by being in collusion with the current developer Greymoor and saying that they do not need a 'Stopping Up Order'!!!

We feel this is completely wrong and the reasons that ESCC have provided are totally irrelevant and don't even relate to the parking bays.

According to the letter of the law a 'Stopping Up Order'; is required if the highway is being improved. In this case what that means is the parking bays are being turned into a road, i.e. the highway is to be 'improved'.

Interestingly all the 'major players' are on holiday this week, no coincidence there! We have been making urgent phone calls in the hope that, even at this late stage, we can make ESCC do things properly and insist that the developer applies for a 'Stopping Up Order' to which we can then all write and complain about the loss of our parking bays.

Unfortunately, if we are unsuccessful, then they will be arriving 'en masse' on Monday morning with all the chaos and havoc that will then be a part of all our everyday lives!

If you feel that ESCC Highways have behaved incorrectly by not allowing any consultation with regard to moving the parking bays and turning them into part of the access road or failing to ensure that the developer applies for a 'Stopping Up Order', please - now, immediately - before Monday - email our ESCC Councillor Paul Redstone [email protected] AND Philip Baker who is the ESCC's solicitor at [email protected] expressing your displeasure and concern.

Yours Truly
Anya Pagden for and behalf of GGAG (Goddens Gill Action Group)

Optivo are trying to do what they did at
Westfield in collusion with RDC planning Department -
and are deliberately NOT telling the residents that
they FULLY intend to make the site 100% affordable
housing.

There is no 'Planning Statement' from the applicant
and no information regarding the 'affordable housing
mix.' This is DELIBERATE as RDC and Optivo are
keeping this VERY, VERY quiet in order that there are
no objections. Then - surprise, surprise - they can then
pull EXACTLY the same stunt as they have in Westfield.

No-one was told of Optivo's and DC Planning
intentions - not even Westfield Parish Council - who
signed the 106 agreement stating that there would be
"40% affordable & 60% FOR SALE ON THE OPEN
MARKET."

The ink was not dry on the LEGAL 106 agreement and
Optivo swooped in and CHANGED EVERYTHING... with
other District Council's blessing.

"Don't tell anyone - we will just make the whole site
100% affordable"

Optivo, I believe, have already purchased the site, in
preparation for this to happen.

One of Northiam's District Councillors - Tony Ganley-
is on the planning committee at DC and was obviously
FULLY aware of Optivo's intentions, regarding
Westfield and the plan to make the new development
100% affordable.

This has also happened in Ticehurst and I believe in
Burwash.

Optivo are circling like vultures and picking village
developments - in collusion with DC Planning - to turn
ALL the rural sites into 100% affordable housing. This is assisted and driven by Central Government who give Optivo a huge bonus to provide 100% affordable housing in the villages.

As well as objecting to the application RR/2021/2743/P
please write to our MP Huw Merriman and complain
about this 'sharp practice'.

RR/2021/2743/P

Dear Resident,

Firstly, a massive thank you for all your objection letters sent earlier this year. However you must have noticed that, yet another, planning application has been lodged on the Paddock/Goddens Gill development site.

Optivo - the Social Landlord in Northiam village - are now the NEW owners of the site and fully intend to make this site 100% affordable or 35 Council Houses - built to accommodate RDC's waiting lists from Bexhill and Hastings. They are able to do this because of a HUGE financial b**g from Central Government.

If this gets approval - by RDC - this will have a huge impact, not only of us, but the whole of the village of Northiam. Therefore please, please write a letter of Objection stating the reasons why you believe that Optivo should NOT be allowed to do this to our village as they have done in Westfield!

1. Optivo already own 10% of the housing stock in Northiam. (almost 180 houses)
2. Optivo state that there will be some Part Buy/Share dwellings, but how many people on benefits will be able to afford to buy?
3. Moving people 'En Masse' - potentially 150 people - from towns into a quiet villages which have few amenities, shops, little public transport, no employment or Police presence. These people may also have left their 'support network' of friends and family back in the town.
4. Criminal Gangs recruit 'bored teenagers' in 'out of the way places' with no Police i.e. a village like ours which then promotes 'County Line' criminal activity.
5. This development is also so inappropriate for Northiam as even our local MP, Huw Merriman, states that this will be in direct competition with NPC's own scheme of providing affordable housing for the residents of the village on the St Francis Field site.
6. This is definitely is not 'a sustainable development' and should be refused.

Please write a letter - in your own words - but you must include any/all of the planning arguments above otherwise RDC will not take any notice of your correspondence. As long as the letters are differently worded EVERY adult in a household may write an objection letter.

Friends and family can also contribute by sending their own letter!

You can submit your comments in the post to:
Chief Planning Officer, Rother District Council, Town Hall, Bexhill-on-Sea, TN39 3JX.
- OR -
Via the RDC website - http://planweb01.rother.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/planningSearch
and type in the application number below. Please, if possible, try to send your comments as soon as possible or at least by 24th December - as although the site amendments are small - the amendment behind the scenes that is being championed, urged and supported by RDC Planning Department - 100% affordable housing run by Optivo will not only affect us but the whole of Northiam.

RDC may try to force this though without a proper consultation period, so determined are they to pass this application.

Please also email a copy of your letter to Huw Merriman MP - [email protected]
Yours truly,
Anya Pagden for and behalf of GGAG (Goddens Gill Action Group)

Online Applications and Decisions - Rother District Council Find the latest applications, decisions and appeals (including weekly lists), and submit comments or objections.