I have worked on a project in the Rother district, regularising the division of a listed farmhouse.
Much of the Rother district lies within the High Weald National Landscape, and the district has a number of conservation areas and a large number of listed buildings, so understanding how the council weighs heritage and landscape is part of getting a project onto the right footing.
- Council planning pages
- Rother District Council
- Local Plan
- The Rother development plan, made up of the Core Strategy and the Development and Site Allocations (DaSA) Local Plan (Core Strategy adopted September 2014 and the Development and Site Allocations (DaSA) Local Plan adopted December 2019, both in force, while the council prepares a new Local Plan for 2025 to 2042 (the Regulation 19 stage was expected in 2026)). Local Plan page. A new Local Plan is being prepared.
- What to submit with an application
- Local validation requirements.
- Article 4 directions
- Rother has several Article 4 directions that remove permitted development rights so that planning permission is needed for works that would not normally require it. These include external changes to houses in conservation areas such as Winchelsea and Rye, controls on converting homes to houses in multiple occupation in Bexhill town centre, restrictions on fencing and new field accesses in the countryside, and directions at Fairlight Cove relating to land stability. Anyone affected should check the position for a specific property before assuming permitted development rights apply. Article 4 directions.
- Community Infrastructure Levy
- Rother is a Community Infrastructure Levy charging authority. Its CIL charging schedule came into effect in April 2016 and applies to qualifying development permitted after that date, at rates set per square metre that vary by location and type and are index-linked each year, alongside Section 106 planning obligations for site-specific matters such as affordable housing. Community Infrastructure Levy page.
- Conservation areas and heritage
- Heritage and landscape matter across the district. There are 10 conservation areas and around 2,500 listed buildings on the National Heritage List for England, and over 82 per cent of the district lies within the High Weald National Landscape (formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Listed building consent is required for works to a listed building, and special care is taken with development in conservation areas and the National Landscape, where changes must preserve or enhance the existing character. Conservation pages.
- Local guidance
- The council publishes supplementary planning documents and guidance, including the Affordable Housing, North East Bexhill Masterplan and Camber Village SPDs, alongside technical advice notes and parking guidance, which sit with the Local Plan. Supplementary planning documents.
What this means for your project
In the Rother district, a lot of the work I do is shaped by the High Weald National Landscape, which covers most of the district, and by the number of conservation areas and listed buildings. If your property is in a conservation area or is listed, expect the council to look closely at materials, detailing and the effect on the wider area, and expect the historic fabric to be treated as part of the design rather than a constraint to work around. There is a Community Infrastructure Levy here, so a larger scheme may carry a CIL charge as well as any Section 106 obligations, which is worth checking early. I check the current position for your specific address before any drawings are prepared.
Last checked: 27 June 2026. page reviewed Planning policy, charges and local designations change over time, so please confirm the current position with the council before relying on this summary.