Land at the Stonework Cottages, Rye Harbour

The site is allocated in the DaSA for some 40 dwellings, of which 30% are affordable. Access should be achieved off Harbour Road. Screening employing native species should be provided on the boundaries of the site. Appropriate fencing should be erected to maintain an effective barrier between the site and the adjacent Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay SSSI, SPA and Ramsar Site. Development should not adversely impact upon the neighbouring Rye Harbour SSSI. The site lies within Flood Zone 3a so any scheme will be subject to both the sequential and exception tests. Habitable rooms should not be provided on the ground floor. Dwellings should be flood resilient/resistant. Furthermore, essential infrastructure should be designed and constructed to remain operational and safe in times of flood. Given the commercial history of the site there may be contamination in the ground. The water table is particularly shallow beneath the surface of the site (within 1-2 metres) and could be leeching of contaminants from other areas of the estate. A proposal would have to undertake a land contamination assessment with any planning application that demonstrated any risks could be managed appropriately through the re-development process. An appropriate foul and surface water drainage scheme should include surface water protection measures and where practicable, elements of SuDS, in accordance with Policy DEN5 in the DaSA Local Plan, whilst also taking into account of the high water table and the risk of contamination on the site. The development should not adversely affect the integrity of the adjacent Natura 2000 Sites and should support the implementation of the Sustainable Access and Recreation Management Strategy (SARMS) as appropriate. The development would need to respect the setting of the Grade II listed School House and Grade II Church of the Holy Spirits located west of the site. See Policy RHA1 of the DaSA (https://www.rother.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/DaSA_Adopted_December_2019_Web.pdf). December 2024 - no changes.