On Thursday (October 14), Wealden District Council’s planning committee north approved proposals to divide and extend a bungalow in Selby Gardens, creating a pair of three-bedroom dwellings on the same plot. While the application had been recommended for approval, several committee members had concerns around the design of the scheme and its impact on the surrounding area. Among those to raise concerns was Cllr Gary Johnson (Con, Uckfield Ridgewood & Little Horsted), who said: “In the simplest terms it is a row of bungalows. “As it has been said, I think setting precedent for converting one of them into [two houses] is going to cause us issues in the future. To do so, I think, would be out of keep with the local area. “Uckfield has a huge amount of development coming its way.” Similar concerns among other councillors, saw committee members consider either refusing or deferring the scheme in an effort to seek a redesign. The motion to defer was withdrawn after the committee received further details from officers, however. Objections had also been raised by Uckfield Town Council and a number of local residents. Other councillors took a different view, however, arguing the design was of good enough quality as submitted. Those to make this argument included Cllr Neil Waller (Con, Crowborough South West), who also pointed out that some of his fellow councillors’ concerns around design had been based on a misunderstanding of the proposals. He said: “I have no issues with the design of these properties and I do think they have been very sympathetic to the street scene in what they are proposing.” Following further discussion the application was narrowly approved with six in favour and five against. The approval included additional conditions around landscaping of the property and removing some permitted development rights from future occupants. For further information on the scheme, see application reference WD/2021/0903/F on the Wealden District Council website.