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The Local Plan, site HS1

HS1: Land adjacent to Sandrock Park, The Ridge

Conquest ward. From Appendix 1 Draft Local Plan - Pre Submission (Regulation 19) September 2026 ↗, Full Council, Wed 23 Sep 2026.

For
Residential
Minimum Indicative Capacity (net additional dwellings)
95
Site area
3.9 hectares
SHELAA reference
HL140
Sandrock ParkLand adjacent to Sandrock Park, The Ridge (at least 95 homes)
Placed at Sandrock Park, the street its name gives, where OpenStreetMap puts it. The site's exact boundary is on the council's Policies Map ↗.

What the plan says about it

Land adjacent to Sandrock Park, The Ridge is a site in the north of the Borough close to the boundary with neighbouring Rother District. The site is relatively level and sits at one of the highest elevations in the Boroughs overall topography. The site is bound by woodland to the northern and eastern extents and shares a boundary with the remains of St Helens Church and the Ore Place Conservation Area and is in close proximity to the late Tudor and early Jacobean manor house at Ore Place and to the High Weald National Landscape.

The St Helen’s Wood Local Nature Reserve has a range of habitats that are sensitive to increases in surface water runoff, such as acid grassland, and others that are sensitive to changes in groundwater conditions, which recharge the ghyll within the Local Nature Reserve. It is essential that any scheme is SuDS-led in the first instance and informed by an agreed programme of hydrological and groundwater monitoring in line with the policies of this Plan.

The rest of the plan's explanation (11 more paragraphs)

The site has access to local shops, services, sports, employment and recreation facilities including nearby St Helen’s Wood to the south and Sandhurst Playing Field to the north. It is within walking distance of local schools and well-connected to the existing bus network along The Ridge.

There is a low to negligible risk of surface water flooding at the periphery of the site, and a surface water flow pathway along the highway (The Ridge) to the north. The site will require a Flood Risk Assessment due to its size, and recommendations as arising from this report should ensure that flood risk will not be increased elsewhere as a result of either the construction or occupation phase of development. Existing areas of localised sewer flooding are present in close proximity to the site boundary. Flood risk, drainage, surface water and sewerage assessments should explicitly address this constraint and ensure that no new pathways or hydraulic connections are introduced that could increase the likelihood of sewer flooding impacting the site, adjacent residential areas, or other sensitive receptors.

Local sewerage infrastructure in closest proximity has limited capacity to accommodate the proposed development. Proposals for development at this location may therefore generate a need for reinforcement of the wastewater network should more detailed modelling show that additional capacity is needed. Proposals should demonstrate engagement with Southern Water at the earliest possible point to understand reinforcement needs, and any reinforcement must be completed prior to connection. This means that development cannot be occupied until it is demonstrated that reinforcement is fully completed.

The site sits within an Archaeological Notification Area.

The south east of the site includes ‘The Lodge’ (Lodge Cottage), a building, historically associated with a former entrance to the manor Ore Place, original in its form and detail, now vacant and in a state of disrepair. It is a building of notable architectural appearance and character and forms part of a group of buildings which include St Helens Church and a former school building, all of which contribute to the setting of the Ore Place Conservation Area. The Lodge should be retained in any overall development, and any development must relate well to the significance and setting of this building, and in the wider context of the Conservation Area.

Proposals for the development of the site should seek to retain and enhance the Public Right of Way (PROW) within the site that bypasses The Ridge. Schemes should ensure that the PROW benefits from good natural surveillance that follows Secured by Design principles and improves overall connectivity to the surrounding area and important services.

The site is bound by woodland, including trees subject to Tree Preservation Orders which acts as a natural buffer to adjacent housing estates and The Ridge. Woodland to the south-west, west and north forms a continuous and unbroken woodland corridor to the St. Helen's Wood Local Nature Reserve and Local Wildlife Site to the south and highway access should seek to limit removal of trees and look at innovative solutions to mitigate any impacts of loss. Natural buffers to the east adjacent to the Ore Place Conservation Area and St Helen’s Church should be preserved and enhanced to protect the setting.

In addition to the tree belt corridor, the site is in close proximity to the High Weald National Landscape to the north and adjacent to parts of the East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) APIB which includes St Helen’s Wood Local Nature Reserve to the south. The entirety of the site sits within the ACIB with measures mapped for woodland, urban nature and nature networks. It is important that any scheme that is proposed clearly shows how links in the green infrastructure network will be retained and how ACIB measures will be delivered and maintained. The site has a total area of 3.9ha, of which approximately 1/3 will need to be given over to publicly accessible open space, habitat creation, ecological buffers and delivery of green and blue infrastructure. The net developable area of the site should therefore be considered to be 2.6ha.

The Local Nature Reserve, Local Wildlife Site, woodland, the APIB, the results of hydrological and groundwater monitoring and the High Weald National Landscape must be specifically referenced in any Ecological Constraints and Opportunities Plan (ECOP), any proposal must also be informed by an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA), and the site itself should be thoroughly surveyed to identify constraints, taking into account the ecological and recreational impact of development. Any development proposal must seek to avoid or minimise impact on these areas during both the construction and occupation phases of the development.

New development on the site will also be required to make a contribution to improvements to Sandhurst Playing Fields opposite, including toward the upgrading of the current pavilion. A contribution towards existing play facilities in the surrounding area will also be required as set out in Part four - Infrastructure and Delivery

Vehicle access must meet acceptable highways standards, and a transport report will be required for the site, which should take account of transport impacts, including those along The Ridge.

What a planning application here would have to do

The policy's conditions, in its own words:

  1. Be SuDS-led, and informed by an agreed programme of hydrological and groundwater monitoring
  2. Provide affordable housing requirement in line with Policy SP2
  3. Include a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) and drainage strategy taking into account all sources of flooding and ground conditions. The drainage strategy should be informed by an agreed programme of monitoring as set out in (a) above. The FRA and its recommendations should fully take into account sensitive receptors downstream, the results of groundwater monitoring and ground condition surveys, the need to avoid creating new hydrological pathways to and from areas of contamination risk, and ensure that flood risk is not increased elsewhere
  4. Incorporate measures that will protect sensitive receptors downstream from the introduction of new sources of pollution, including during the site preparation and construction phases of development
  5. Take into account Southern Water’s infrastructure the crosses the site, and ensure easements are provided
  6. Ensure that any necessary reinforcement of the sewerage system is in place to accommodate the quantum and type of proposed development prior to connection, and that such reinforcement is agreed with Southern Water. This will be secured by condition
  7. The site's drainage strategy must be supported by a maintenance and management plan to ensure it will be managed for the lifetime of the development. This plan must be presented as a standalone document. Where any new, retained or improved flood mitigation or adaptation measures are included within the development an additional standalone maintenance and management plan must be produced; h. Include a Historic Environment Record (HER) informed desk- based assessment of potential interests within an Archaeological Notification Area and agree to an appropriate programme of archaeological investigation secured by condition/s prior to any development works (as advised by ESCC).
  8. Include a View Analysis to assist in demonstrating that the proposal would not cause unacceptable harm or loss of significance to the Ore Place Conservation Area, Manor House and remains of St Helen’s Church
  9. Be of a high quality with a strong visual architectural character and appearance and should retain and restore The Lodge (Lodge Cottage).
  10. Retain and enhance the Public Rights of Way within the site following the principles of crime prevention through environmental design and support connections to the wider walking and cycling network and improve provision of pedestrian facilities to key local services.
  11. Provide an area equivalent to at least 1/3 of the site for onsite open space, habitat creation, and delivery of green and blue infrastructure. Publicly accessible open space will be secured by legal agreement in perpetuity and must be of a size and quality that supports recreational use.
  12. Retain, enhance or provide boundary landscaping and noise screening, not all of which should be publicly accessible, to act as a buffer:
  13. From The Ridge and existing residential development, excluding the access point to the site, and; ii. To the Local Nature Reserve and Local Wildlife Site
  14. Be supported by an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) and include an Ecological Constraints and Opportunities Plan (ECOP) and incorporate appropriate conservation and mitigation measures as recommended by the EcIA. The ECOP must make specific reference to woodland within and adjacent to the site, the High Weald National Landscape, St. Helens Wood Local Wildlife Site and Local Nature Reserve, the results of hydrological and groundwater monitoring, and surveys of the site itself. The assessment must take into account any additional recreational impacts that may result from the proposal during all phases of development. o. Be supported by a Transport Report indicating how the conclusions and recommendations of the Report have been incorporated within the development and setting out a ‘monitor and manage’ regime.
  15. Ensure vehicular access to the site meets appropriate highways standards.

What people said in the spring

In the spring 2026 consultation on the draft plan (called Regulation 18), 147 comments were made on this site: 129 objections, 2 in support and 16 other comments.

The issues people raised, as the council's report sums them up:

What the council did in response: Policy HS1 amended.

How to comment

The council hasn't opened the six weeks for comments yet, as far as we can see. When it does, the dates and how to respond will be on our Local Plan page and on the council's own ↗.

At this stage a comment is about whether the plan is legally compliant and sound. What that means.

Other council papers that mention it

Read from the plan ↗ and the spring consultation report ↗ with fixed rules; no language model is involved. The plan's own text is what counts.