4 Longhouses

This is an application for “Removal of dilapidated timber shed and replacement with oak frame garage/store and formation of new access to existing gate”

Follow this link to view details of the new application and/or submit comments to Rother District council.  Comments should be submitted by Tuesday 20 October 2020.

View details of all current planning applications affecting Brightling.

Last chance to apply!

A message from Doug Edworthy, the “Tree Champion” (also known as Tree Warden) for Brightling and Dallington

Our beautiful AONB in the High Weald is characterised by interlinked pockets of ancient woodland and small irregular-shaped fields and it is important to maintain and enhance this as much as possible. So, of course, it has to be ‘the right trees in the right places’.

Your Brightling and Dallington Tree Champion is seeking landowners with suitable land in Brightling and Dallington parishes that falls within the Dallington Forest Project area for planting-up of small woodlands or hedges.

Dallington parishioner Jamie Simpson has a source of funding for the supply of native trees together with the necessary protection from rabbits and deer. The cost to landowners would be for planting labour and follow up aftercare necessary for successful establishment.

Suitable planting projects would be:

• Creating new woodlands (with the proviso that important grassland or heathland habitat is not damaged or destroyed)
• Creating new woodland to link existing pockets of ancient woodland
• Filling gaps in neglected or poor condition hedges to restore them
• Replacing some of the enormous number of hedges that were removed in the 20th century’s drive for bigger agricultural fields

Planted trees/hedges must be able to be appreciated by the public, so must be within sight of a road, right of way or on public land.

Grants need to be applied-for during the summer so that the funding is available for an autumn/winter planting project. If you are interested in this project please contact me, Doug Edworthy, as soon as possible.

treewarden@dallington.org.uk
07711 090 925

Police in East Sussex are looking for volunteers to share their views as part of an Independent Advisory Group (IAG), helping to shape and support the policing priorities across the district.

The role will provide feedback and advice on how the police’s actions are interpreted by members of the public, and seek to improve the two-way communications between police in East Sussex and the diverse communities of the area.

To ensure that the group is a fair representation of the different districts within East Sussex, they are particularly keen to hear from people in rural Rother.

This could be an opportunity to serve the community and ensure that the needs of areas like Brightling are not overlooked when policing priorities are set.

For full details and how to apply, follow this link.

The Government is planning a major overhaul of the planning system.  This is a very radical reform, described as the biggest change to the system since it was introduced in 1947.  The government is currently consulting on its proposals and the consultation is open to anyone to respond.  There are two main consultations:

Changes to the current planning system

Planning for the future

(Follow the above links to see the documents and consultation in full.  The documents themselves contain links to the consultation pages where you can input your own responses – but be quick, closing dates are 1st and 29th October respectively).

Brightling Parish Council considered these proposed changes at a special meeting on Wednesday 16 September 2020.  As a result of this meeting:

• Brightling Parish Council considers that these proposals could be damaging to the area in which we live
• Brightling Parish Council urges everyone to contact our MP and our local district and county councillors about these proposals (contact details below)

To assist with contacting our MP and councillors we have prepared two documents (which have been approved by the parish council).

1. Brightling Parish Council’s interpretation of the impact of these proposals on areas like Brightling.
2. Points to consider making when contacting the MP (or councillors).

Brightling Parish Council has already submitted formal consultation responses to both the Government documents.  However, we consider that the most effective way to influence these proposals is through political channels, which is why we have decided to urge parishioners to contact our MP and councillors.

We are not alone in being concerned about these proposals.  CPRE (which is supported by Brightling Parish Council) has expressed major concerns.  Briefly, CPRE says

• The government has devised some new plans that could pose a huge risk to the countryside and the communities living and working within it.
• Ministers want to take decision-making powers away from communities and local councils, handing it over to housing developers and central powers in Westminster.
• Under these new proposals, our ability to shape the future of where we live – a right communities have had for 70 years – could be lost with the stroke of a pen. 

Other parish councils are also concerned.  Brightling Parish Council has taken part in a  joint working party with councillors from Burwash, Etchingham and Ticehurst.  This working group has its own website: Burwash Save Our Fields  The following documents were drafted in conjunction with this working group and have been submitted as the formal response of Brightling Parish Council

• Response to “Changes to the current planning system”
• Response to “Planning for the future”

How to contact our MP

Huw Merriman, MP

Email: huw.merriman.mp@parliament.uk
Other ways of contacting Huw Merriman

How to contact our local councillors

Councillor Mrs Eleanor Kirby-Green (District Councillor)

Email cllr.eleanor.kirby-green@rother.gov.uk
Other ways of contacting Eleanor Kirby-Green

Councillor John Barnes MBE

Email cllr.john.barnes@rother.gov.uk
Other ways of contacting John Barnes

Coldharbour Farm, Battle Road, Brightling TN21 9LQ

This is an application to vary previous planning permission (RR/2018/480/P) to allow increased height and other changes.

Follow this link to view details of the new application and/or submit comments to Rother District council.  Comments should be submitted by Tuesday 6 October 2020.

View details of all current planning applications affecting Brightling.

This special meeting of Brightling Parish Council will be considering proposed responses to the Government’s recent white papers on changes to the Planning System.

The two main white papers can be seen here

Changes to the current planning system

Planning for the future

(Follow the above links to see the documents and consultation in full. The documents themselves contain links to the consultation pages where you can input your own responses).

Firstly, Brightling Parish Council is considering urging parishioners to contact our MP regarding these proposals. A draft document has been prepared with bullet points that parishioners might wish to make when contacting the MP. This document will be considered for approval at the meeting on Wednesday 16/9/20

Bullet points you may wish to make when contacting our MP – draft for consideration

Secondly, Brightling Parish Council recognizes that these documents apply to the whole country. We have therefore prepared our own document that focuses on the possible impact on Brightling and the area where we live:

Impact on Brightling – draft document for consideration

The above document will be considered at the meeting on Wednesday 16/9/20 and if approved it will become the Parish Council’s official view.

Thirdly, Brightling Parish Council is considering making an official response to the two Government white papers. The following documents are the proposed responses by Brightling Parish Council. If approved at the meeting on 16/9/20, they will be submitted via NALC (National Association of Local Councils).

Changes to the current planning system – Brightling Parish Council’s proposed response

Planning for the future – Brightling Parish Council’s proposed response

Attendance details

The meeting will be held by Zoom, starting at 7:30 pm on Wednesday 16 September 2020.

The details of how to connect by Zoom are exactly the same as for previous parish council meetings. Any member of the public who wishes to attend and doesn’t have the details, please email the parish clerk at brightlingclerk@gmail.com who will send you the details of how to log in (they cannot be put on this web page for security reasons).

There will be a session at the beginning of the meeting where members of the public may speak, at the discretion of the chairman. After that it will be a formal meeting with only parish councillors speaking.

The Government is planning a major overhaul to the planning system.  This is a very radical reform, described as the biggest change to the system since it was introduced in 1947.  The government is currently consulting on its proposals and the consultation is open to anyone to respond.  There are two main consultations:

Changes to the current planning system

Planning for the future

(Follow the above links to see the documents and consultation in full.  The documents themselves contain links to the consultation pages where you can input your own responses).

It is the second of these two documents which describes the radical reform to the system but both are important and could have a substantial impact on rural areas such as Brightling.

Brightling Parish Council is intending to submit comments on both documents.

They are both quite big documents, and I think it is fair to say that they are not easy to understand unless you have considerable background knowledge of the way the planning system works.  Even if you do, it is still not easy to understand what the impact might be.  However, there is a very widespread view that these proposals could be bad news for rural areas.  For example CPRE says:

The government has devised some new plans that could pose a huge risk to the countryside and the communities living and working within it. 

Ministers want to take decision-making powers away from communities and local councils, handing it over to housing developers and central powers in Westminster.   

Under these new proposals, our ability to shape the future of where we live – a right communities have had for 70 years – could be lost with the stroke of a pen. 

CPRE are also running a petition against these proposals.  The government, on the other hand, says that these proposals will make the system “simpler, clearer and quicker to navigate, delivering results in weeks and months rather than years and decades”

Brightling Parish Council is taking part in a joint working party with councillors from Burwash, Etchingham and Ticehurst in order to better understand these proposals and to come up with a response.

There will be a special meeting of Brightling Parish Council at 7:30 pm on Wednesday 16 September in order to consider an initial response by the council.  This meeting will be via Zoom and is open to all members of the public.  If you wish to join in the meeting, and you don’t have the Zoom details (same as previous Zoom meetings) then please email the clerk at brightlingclerk@gmail.com

As well as submitting comments direct to the Government, the parish council will also be publishing here on the web site:

•     the parish council’s interpretation of the impact of the proposals on our district,
•     suggested responses (in the form of a template) that individual parishioners might want to make to the consultation, and/or say to our MP

The Parish Council will be meeting face-to-face for the first time since early March.  The meeting will start at 7:30 pm on Wednesday 9 September, in the Village Hall.

Members of the public are welcome to attend.  You will have to leave your name and address so that you can be contacted later if necessary.

“Social distancing” will be maintained during the meeting, and COVID guidelines will apply.

Please familiarize yourself with the Guidance notes for the use of the Village Hall.

Our “Tree Champion” (aka Tree Warden), Doug Edworthy, has created a new self-guided walk in the Dallington Forest.  (follow the link to download the full self-guided instructions).  Highly recommended.

All church services until the end of September will be by Zoom video-conferencing.

Joining details for the services are:

Either follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81659598065

or use the zoom client (app), meeting ID 816 5959 8065

You will need a password (passcode) to get in.  It is the same as before.  If you don’t have it, please email the vicar at revannmariex@gmail.com
and she will be very pleased to send it to you.

Dates and times of services are on the calendar on the home page of this website.  You may wish to join 5 or 10 minutes beforehand so that services can start promptly.

You can also download, print or view the church service at any time.