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Podcast - Martin Newbold 06 March 2026

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This discussion concerns serious questions raised with East Sussex regarding apparent failures in the planning process, the preparation and development of the Local Plan, and whether decisions, representations or omissions made during that process were lawful, accurate and properly supported by the available evidence.

The discussion examines concerns surrounding the treatment of planning evidence, historic decisions, environmental and contamination information, consultation responses, and the extent to which relevant findings may have been overlooked, misrepresented or excluded from later planning considerations.

Particular attention is given to whether officers and public bodies were fully aware of earlier determinations and material evidence, whether that information was properly carried forward into the Local Plan process, and whether subsequent decisions were made on a complete and accurate evidential basis.

Where inconsistencies cannot be explained as ordinary administrative error, questions also arise as to whether any representations, records or decisions could amount to deliberate misrepresentation or potentially fraudulent conduct. No conclusion of criminal fraud is asserted without evidence; the purpose of the discussion is to identify the documentary inconsistencies, establish who knew what and when, and determine whether further investigation is required.

The wider issue is one of public accountability: whether planning authorities have complied with their statutory duties, accurately represented the planning history and evidence available to them, and ensured that the Local Plan has been developed transparently, lawfully and on the basis of all material information.

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