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Droxford House, 40 Charles Road

Planning application HS/PA/26/00502

Droxford House, 40 Charles Road, St Leonards-on-sea, TN38 0JU

New homes This uses the prior-approval route: national rules allow the work, and the council can check only set things, such as its size or its effect on neighbours.

What is proposed

In the council’s words, from its weekly list:

Notification for prior approval for change of use of Ground Floor from office accommodation to residential (use class C3)

The application describes the new use as Class C3 (homes). That is how the application describes it, not a finding of the lawful use.

Where it stands

The council’s file ↗

Conditions attached

The decision notice on the council’s file (published Wed 7 Oct 2026) attaches 6 conditions. In the council’s words, each with the reason it gives:

  1. Time limit to start
    (a) Development must be completed within a period of 3 years starting with the prior approval date. (b) Any building permitted to be used as a dwellinghouse by virtue of Class MA is to remain in use as a dwellinghouse within the meaning of Class C3 of Schedule 1 to the Use Classes Order and for no other purpose, except to the extent that the other purpose is ancillary to the use as a dwellinghouse.
  2. Drainage and flooding
    The development shall be carried out in accordance with the submitted Flood Risk Assessment report (ref: 98008-FineArch-DrxfrdHs, dated August 2026) and maintained as such thereafter.
  3. Drainage and flooding
    Prior to occupation the following mitigation measures outlined in Section 1 (Flood Risk Mitigation) must be fully implemented. · Flood proofing of the development should be incorporated as appropriate · The applicant should register with the National Severe Weather Warning Service. These mitigation measures shall be retained and maintained thereafter throughout the lifetime of the development.
  4. Hours of building work
    Work which is audible at the site boundary and deliveries too and from the premises, during construction, shall not take place before 08:00 and after 18:00 hours Monday-Friday or before 08:00 and after 13:00 on Saturdays and at no time on Sundays or Bank Holidays.
  5. Contaminated land
    In the event that contamination is found at any time when carrying out the proposed development, that was not previously identified, (such as asbestos containing material), works should cease immediately on site. A scheme of proposed remediation measures must be submitted to and approved in writing to the Local Planning Authority for approval prior to continuation of the works within one working day of the contamination being found on site. Works shall not recommence on site until the remediation scheme has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority in writing. Once the remediation scheme is approved by the Local Planning Authority, all the measures required within the approved remediation scheme shall be carried out. Any approved remediation works, shall be carried out in full on site under a quality assurance scheme to demonstrate compliance with the proposed methodology and best practice guidance. In the event that contamination is found to be present, upon completion of the works the developer shall provide written confirmation (verification report) that all works were completed in accordance with the agreed remediation details, this to be approved by the Local Planning Authority.
  6. Noise, plant and smells
    Details including acoustic specifications, of all fixed plant, machinery and equipment associated with air moving equipment (including Heat pumps, fans, ducting and external openings), compressors, generators or plant or equipment of a like kind, installed within the site, which has the potential to cause noise disturbance to any noise sensitive receivers, shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority before installation. The fixed plant, machinery and equipment associated with air moving equipment, compressors, generators or plant or equipment of a like kind shall be installed in accordance with the approved details and retained and maintained as such for the lifetime of the development unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

We copy the numbered conditions and their reasons and nothing else from the notice; its notes to the applicant are on the file. The label on each is ours, by rules on the council’s wording. The conditions the council attaches, by kind of application

Conservation and heritage on this street

Measured along the street’s line against the council’s boundaries. Whether a particular building is inside depends on where the boundary runs: each area’s page on the council’s site has its map. All 18 conservation areas

The council’s Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation covers the whole town (in force since 2 July 2012): turning a house into a shared house for three to six people needs planning permission. The council’s page ↗

Tree preservation orders within about 40 m of Charles Road’s line, from the council’s map data:

Indicative only — the council’s order is what counts. The council says of its tree order map data: “This dataset is under review and subject to change. Always refer to the Original Tree Preservation Order and associated plan for confirmation.” The council’s tree preservation orders page ↗

Conservation areas, Article 4 directions and tree preservation orders: Hastings Borough Council, Open Government Licence v3.0. Street lines © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Flood zones, the coast and protected nature on this street

We place an application by the street in its address, so these say where Charles Road runs, not where the site’s boundary is. The application’s own documents on the council’s file show the site.

Flood zones

None of Charles Road’s line is in Flood Zone 2 or 3 on the Environment Agency’s flood map for planning. In the Agency’s words: “This means a site in flood zone 1 could still flood now or in the future.”

A street’s line is not an address. For a particular address, use the Environment Agency’s Check your long term flood risk ↗; for a planning site, its Flood map for planning ↗. Flood warnings in force now are on Live now.

Protected nature

No Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation, Local Nature Reserve, ancient woodland or country park is within about 100 m of Charles Road’s line, and it is outside the High Weald National Landscape. Protected nature in Hastings

Flood zones: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0. Fetched 2026-10-12.

Coastal erosion and the Shoreline Management Plan: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2015. Open Government Licence v3.0. Fetched 2026-10-12.

Protected sites: © Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Fetched 2026-10-12.

Street lines © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Comments on the application

The council’s file counts no comments from the public (as it stood on Tue 13 Oct 2026).

Who the council consulted

The bodies and officers the file lists as consulted, with the day each was asked.

Consultee responses on the file

Responses filed as consultee comments, named as the file names them, with the day each was published. What they say is in each document on the council’s file.

Is a comment public?

The council’s page on commenting says: “All comments will be made available to view online and will be treated in accordance with our privacy policy. Comments will be redacted where they contain personal information or are inappropriate in their content.” It also says: “Please note that we do not accept anonymous comments.” Commenting on an application, on the council’s site ↗ (read 13 October 2026).

We count the comments on the council’s file. We never copy a commenter’s name, address or words, and we don’t list who objected: that is on the file.

Similar applications nearby

Other applications of the same kind (new homes) on Charles Road or in Gensing ward, decided ones first, since our record starts on 21 April 2026. A refusal is marked; its reasons are in the decision notice on the council’s file. Each application is decided on its own facts.

On Charles Road

Elsewhere in Gensing

If you think work doesn’t match what was approved

The council’s planning enforcement team looks into building work or a use that may not have permission, or may not follow the approved plans or conditions. Its page explains how to report it and which cases it deals with first: planning enforcement on the council’s site ↗

Our planning record starts on 21 April 2026, from the council’s weekly lists of new and decided applications. We list the site, the proposal, the dates, the decision, the comment counts and a permission’s conditions. We never copy a commenter’s or an individual applicant’s details; an applicant is named only when it is an organisation we can match exactly to a council, a registered charity or a company on Companies House. Planning is decided by the council, not by us.