Decision due on Robertsbridge homes

Plans for a major housing development in Robertsbridge are to go in front of councillors.

On Thursday (November 12), Rother District Council’s planning committee is due to consider proposals for the Hodson’s Mill site in Northbridge Street.

The proposals, from Homes England, seek permission to build up to 125 homes.  Some would come from converting the former mill building and redeveloping a Grade II listed oast house.

In application documents, Homes England said: “Hodson’s Mill provides a unique opportunity to celebrate heritage through the emergence of a new neighbourhood within Robertsbridge.

“This historic site will be brought back into use, fit for the 21st century, with homes for new residence and vibrant community uses all thoughtfully integrated within the natural environment.”

The largely brownfield site has been vacant since 2001 and has long been allocated for development. In November 2021, part of it secured permission for 96 homes. This consent has now expired.

Homes England, which is the government’s housing and regeneration agency, took over the site in March 2024 after the previous plans proved to be ‘undelieverable’.

The current proposals seek outline planning permission for the principle of developing the site and full detailed planning permission for the mill building and oast house.

Under the full planning permission, the oast house would be dismantled and rebuilt, with the redeveloped structure providing two three-bedroom homes.

The mill building is to be converted to provide two retail/community units and resident cycle and refuse storage on the ground floor,  eight two-bed flats and a single one-bed flat on the upper three floors.

Councillors are also expected to consider a listed building consent application for the Oast House proposals.

The proposals are for a larger parcel of land than the previous plan, extending into green field land at the north of the site as part of what Rother planning officers described as “efforts to produce a viable scheme”.

A Financial Viability Appraisal (FVA) has concluded that the proposed development could not support the provision of affordable housing. Officers say this submission has been independently scrutinised, but these assessors reached the same conclusion.

The report attributes this finding to a “strong Existing Use Value as well as the relatively modest sales values that are achievable in Robertsbridge”.

Council planning officers are recommending approval to both applications.

Approval would be subject to a detailed legal agreement, which would be expected to secure agreements on off-site highways works, park land management and Biodiversity Net Gain maintenance and monitoring among other things.

The legal agreement would also secure a process for a ‘late stage review’ of the scheme’s affordability

The agreement would come alongside a wide range of planning conditions, including those linked to drainage and flood risk. Among other things, these conditions prevent any development until an updated Flood Risk Assessment is signed off. This may result in additional conditions from the Environment Agency, the report notes.

For further information see applications RR/2026/0600/OUT and RR/2026/0610/LBC on the Rother District Council planning portal.

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