Developers East Sussex minutes: 13 January 2026
Meeting details
Date: 13 January 2026
Time: 2pm
Location: Microsoft Teams
See the list of attendees and apologies for this meeting.
1. Welcome and introductions
1.1 JB welcomed the attendees to the meeting.
2. Review of previous minutes, 11 November 2025
2.1 BH advised that the previous action – for all DES colleagues to help promote DES by engaging with partners across West Sussex and Brighton and Hove – is ongoing, and encouraged all colleagues to continue reaching out. He noted that new partners from Arun District Council had joined the meeting and welcomed them to the group.
2.2 The minutes were approved as an accurate record of the meeting.
3. Market conditions / open forum
3.1 RM provided a brief update on Homes England (HE), noting that new Chief Executive Amy Rees CB has been in post since September 2025 and is currently overseeing a small restructure towards a ‘regionalised’ operating model, which will introduce five separate regions from 1 April 2026, each with its own regional director. DES will fall under the South region (stretching from Penzance to Dover) with Kate McBride as its Executive Regional Director. The other four regions across England are North West; North East, Yorkshire & Humber; Midlands; and London & East. HE is also due to launch its new National Housing Bank from 1 April 2026, with a new grant funding stream expected to be introduced at the same time.
3.2 CT advised that the government’s new £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) is about to go live. As announced during the Spending Review last summer, the programme will provide grant funding to support the delivery of 300,000 new social and affordable homes over the ten-year period 2026 to 2036. Two funding routes will be available – Continuous Market Engagement (CME) and Strategic Partnerships – and both routes will open for bidding on 24 February 2026. Partners are encouraged to review the online guidance documents, all of which are being updated this week.
3.3 BH queried whether the government’s new long-term housing strategy is likely to be published anytime soon. RT confirmed that it is expected to be published in the first quarter of the year.
3.4 CM advised that the residential sales market performed slightly better than expected over the Christmas period (following some initial nervousness about the effect of the Autumn Budget) but sales are patchy, with some sites selling well and others very slow to get going; coastal locations seem to be quietest at present. Materials costs remain stable – but note that they inflated dramatically a few years ago, and although they did eventually plateau, they never went back down. Also, new arrivals in the Registered Provider (RP) side of the market do now seem to be adding value. DG advised that the commercial market is also holding steady, particularly at the smaller end of the market which is showing good levels of interest and take-up.
4. DES Priorities for 2026
4.1 Further to the group’s recent discussion at the last face-to-face meeting (September 2025) on possible topics to cover over the year ahead, JB reframed this as a ‘Top 5’ for DES to focus on:
- Affordable Housing – SAHP implementation, the affordable housing ‘one last ask’ policy note, and putting it all into practice locally.
- Planning – changes to the planning system when the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is published in the summer, and the application of those changes.
- LGR/Devolution – understanding the timelines/implications of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and Devolution.
- Sewerage/Water – finding resolutions to sewerage and other water issues (not just in Wealden but elsewhere too) and bringing Southern Water to the table.
- First Time Buyers – helping to restore confidence in the market.
4.2 SR queried whether there is any appetite within DES to get more actively involved in ‘managed incursions into protected landscapes’ – perhaps something to consider. MC noted that new statutory guidance is expected to be published shortly on Local Supported Housing Strategies, so again that could be something for DES to discuss. JB also suggested that local authority partners could make more use of DES as a platform to talk about emerging policy (local plans etc) and actually present items for consideration (beyond the usual five-minute roundtable updates on the agenda).
5. Sewerage issues / Southern Water
5.1 SR advised that Wealden DC has published a Foul Drainage Framework, agreed with Southern Water, to mitigate foul flows. The framework includes a full methodology and a real-life working example, and is concerned with facilitating development rather than refusing it.
5.2 CM and CB highlighted some of the issues of having to provide onsite foul water storage that was not part of the original development plans, citing significant costs, long delays and the creation of unforeseen bottlenecks. All colleagues agreed that they are extremely grateful to SR and his team for devising a solution that gets development moving, but also noted that they should never have been placed in this situation in the first place, and are now paying the price for Southern Water’s lack of capacity and poor infrastructure. DES should make every effort to bring Southern Water to the table to engage in some open and honest conversations.
Action: NF to invite Southern Water partners to join/engage with the DES forum.
6. National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
6.1 A consultation was launched before Christmas on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). JB highlighted some of the key changes, including a permanent presumption in favour of suitably located development; supporting development within reasonable walking distance of the ‘top 60 travel to work’ train stations; stronger support for rural social and affordable housing; and supporting small and medium sites with the introduction of a ‘medium development’ category.
6.2 JB encouraged all DES colleagues to read through and respond to the NPPF consultation documents. The revised NPPF is expected to be published in the summer.
Action: DES colleagues to respond to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation by the closing date of 10 March 2026.
7. East Sussex Housing Strategy
7.1 MC thanked DES colleagues for providing input/feedback throughout the development of the East Sussex Housing Partnership Strategy, the final version of which has now been formally adopted by all six local authorities of East Sussex. A ‘mobilisation plan’ has also been drafted, and DES partners are again encouraged to continue engaging and providing input. Both the strategy and draft mobilisation plan can be viewed on the County Council’s website: ESCC Lead Member meeting 15 Dec 2026 - East Sussex Housing Partnership Strategy (see appendix 1 and 3).
8. Developers Sussex (DeS): pan-Sussex expansion
8.1 No further update at this time.
9. Other national and local policy changes
9.1 MC provided an update on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), noting that the government’s consultation on the compliant bids – including the ‘One East Sussex’ bid proposing a single unitary for our county, as well as the submission from Brighton and Hove proposing five unitary authorities across Sussex – closed on 11 January 2026. The outcome is expected to be announced in March 2026.
9.2 On the separate process of Devolution and the election of a pan-Sussex mayor, the government has decided to delay mayoral elections in four areas of England, including here in Sussex, due to the complexities of trying to accomplish LGR in tandem. Work on the formation of the Sussex and Brighton Combined County Authority (SBCCA) will continue, and the legislation to allow a strategic authority to be formed is still due to be agreed in March/April 2026 (giving the ability to set up the required legal entity in advance of the mayoral elections) but we won’t have a mayor in post until May 2028.
10. Local Planning Authority (LPA) updates
10.1 MH and SR advised that the draft Local Plans for both Rother DC and Wealden DC are at the Regulation 18 stage. The Reg18 consultation for the Rother Local Plan will run from 26 January to 23 March 2026, and for the Wealden Local Plan from 6 February to 20 March 2026.
11. Any other business (AOB)
11.1 JB advised that the DES meeting schedule for 2026/27 has been agreed, and DE will share the details. Moving forward, DES meetings will start at 3pm rather than 2pm.
Action: DE to share the DES meeting schedule for 2026/27.
Summary of actions
5.2 NF to invite Southern Water partners to join/engage with the DES forum.
6.2 DES colleagues to respond to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation by the closing date of 10 March 2026.
11.1 DE to share the DES meeting schedule for 2026/27.
Attendees and apologies
Attendees
- AF, Amy Fearn, Rother DC
- AJ, Alex Jones, Stantec
- AW, Alistair Wickens, Team East Sussex (TES)
- BB, Beverley Bayliss, East Sussex CC
- BH, Brian Horton, South East Housing & Development Group
- CB, Craige Burden, Barratt David Wilson Homes
- CM, Chris Moore, Bellway Homes
- CT, Cara Turner, Homes England
- DB, Damon Brown, Reds10
- DE, Dave Evans, East Sussex CC
- DG, Derek Godfrey, Westcotte Leach
- ERS, Elizabeth Ross-Smith, Greymoor
- GQ, Graeme Quinnell, Rother DC
- HF, Hayley Frankham, Wealden DC
- JB, Jonathan Buckwell, DHA Planning (CHAIR)
- JC, Janan Clatworthy, B.Yond Homes
- JP, Joe Powell, Rother DC
- JR, Jason Roberts, Wealden DC
- JS, John Stebbings, n/a - independent
- JT, James Taylor, Greymoor
- KB, Kim Bloxham, East Sussex CC
- KR, Karl Roberts, Arun DC
- LB, Lucinda Batcheler, Cavendish Consulting
- MC, Michael Courts, East Sussex CC
- MH, Mike Hughes, Rother DC
- NF, Nick Fenton, Nick Fenton Associates
- OM, Owen Mcleod, Marrons
- RB, Rick Bhatia, Southern Housing
- RF, Richard Fox, Reds10
- RJo, Richard Jones, East Sussex CC
- RM, Rob Moore, Homes England
- RT, Ryan Trodden, MHCLG
- SR, Stacey Robins, Wealden DC
- TC, Tom Casey, Counties and Capital Consulting
Apologies
- DH, Dawn Hudd, Arun DC
- ES, Edward Sheath, East Sussex CC
- RJa, Robert Jakusconek, Taylor Wimpey
- TH, Tim Hardwicke, Stiles Harold Williams Partnership
- TS, Tom Sherriff, Barratt David Wilson Homes