Hill Place Farm
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ECE Planning
ECE Planning successfully secured Reserved Matters approval for a major residential development at Hill Place Farm, East Grinstead, within the Mid Sussex District. Acting on behalf of Vistry Homes and Taylor Wimpey, we led the planning process from initial pre-application engagement through to consent, working collaboratively with ECE Architecture to deliver a high-quality and policy-compliant scheme.
The site presented a series of technical and environmental challenges, including steep sloping topography, adjacency to Ancient Woodland, and the proximity of designated heritage assets such as the historic Bluebell Railway Line. Our role involved navigating these constraints while unlocking the site’s potential for 200 new homes, including 30% affordable housing, public open space, SuDS infrastructure, new play areas, and the provision of SANG to mitigate recreational pressure on sensitive habitats.
ECE Planning undertook extensive pre-application engagement with Mid Sussex District Council, including the coordination and delivery of three formal meetings with planning officers to resolve technical and design matters early in the process. We also led three independent Design Review Panels, ensuring that the scheme evolved in a way that respected the landscape, heritage, and wider setting while optimising site capacity.
In parallel, ECE Planning managed a well-attended public consultation event, which was entirely planned, hosted, and delivered by our team. This was instrumental in shaping the design response and demonstrating community engagement in line with national and local policy expectations.
The Reserved Matters application addressed issues of Scale, Layout, Appearance, and Landscaping, building on the access arrangements approved at the Outline stage. The submission was supported by a coordinated suite of technical reports, and responded comprehensively to site-level challenges including amenity, biodiversity, drainage, and arboriculture.
Following approval, ECE Planning continued to add value by coordinating the discharge of planning conditions, working with the same multi-disciplinary consultant team to maintain momentum and ensure deliverability on site.
This project showcases ECE Planning’s ability to manage complex greenfield schemes through every phase of the planning process, balancing design ambition with policy compliance to secure high-quality outcomes.
