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Ecological Land Cooperative Site 2 - Arlington, East Sussex Site Plan The Field to the South of Copyhold Cottages, Arlington, East Sussex, BN26 6RU Location The site lies in the village and parish of Arlington, East Sussex, a little east of the Cuckmere River and 550m to the east of Arlington Reservoir. The A27 is 2km to the south and the A22 is 3km to the east. Berwick railway station is 1.5km to the west. The town of Hailsham is 4km to the north east, the town of Polegate is 4km to the south east with Eastbourne nearby. Lewes and Brighton lie 13km and 22km to the west respectively. Date purchased February 2016 Stage of development The site has five year temporary planning permission from Wealden District Council for 3 agriculturally tied dwellings granted in August 2018. The site infrastructure is currently being developed with a new vehicle access, hard standing, shared barn, rain water collection and solar array. Smallholding plots are available for purchase and rent to buy. Plot sizes There are three plots on site of approximately 3.7, 4.6 and 8.7 acres respectively - see the site plan below for more detail. Final plot sizes will be confirmed at the point of sale. Anticipated completion date Subject to approval of ecological farm business plans by Wealden District Council, the smallholding plots will be ready for new entrants to move on from May 2019. What do the plots cost? Each plot will share a third of the ELC’s site development costs, equal to £81,000 per plot, plus £6,000 per acre. For example a 4.7 acre plot will cost £108,600, an 8.7 acre plot will cost £133,200. The final sale price for a 150 year lease will be agreed at the point of sale by calculating the acreage of the plot and dwelling area. Rent to buy and rental only options are available - please ask for details. West Plot 3.5 acres (tbc) South Plot 4.5 acres (tbc) East Plot 8.5 acres (tbc) Ecological Information The field is made up of arable land and mature hedgerows. The soil is low Weald clay and previously the field had been used for maize production for many years. Since the ELC purchased the land in 2016 it has been drill seeded with a clover and grass mix, topped and used for sheep grazing to increase fertility. The fields were then topped again, leaving the organic matter to rot down into the soil. The ELC have planted a new hedgerow along the northern boundary along with a row of Sussex variety fruit trees on the communal land. Organic Certification The process of registering the land with the Soil Association for organic status began in January 2018 and Organic certification should be obtained in January 2020. Ecological Land Cooperative Unit 204, The Brighton Eco-Centre, Brighton, BN1 3PB tel: 01273 766 672 email: [email protected] web: www.ecologicalland.coop
