THE COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGIST - EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

During 1999, Nelson Kruschandl contacted Andrew Woodcock, the County Archaeologist, working from County Hall in Lewes.  Nelson was allowed to use the Library of Planning Policy Guidance Notes, called PPGs in the trade, now PPSs.

This is where the relevant policies concerning historic, or buildings thought to have an historic interest was discovered.  The relevant PPGs are 15 and 16.  Sixteen concerns us more here.  From this guidance, it is clear Wealden District Council's officers had deliberately not contacted either the County Archaeologist, or English Heritage for either application and appeal in 1986/7 and 1996/7.  This is a requirement where clarification as to the value of any potentially valuable historic find is concerned.

It was for this reason that Inspectors' Raymond Dannruether and Raymond Michael were fooled into thinking the the generating station had been replaced by a pump house - either shortly before or shortly after World War Two. When in fact a modern multi-stage 3-phase pump had been connected to the old well and a water tank temporarily placed on rough timbers that rested on one beam of an original truss, being let into the northern wall, again in temporary manner that was unmistakable as being modern lash up dating from the 1960s, long after electricity generation had ceased in 1936. Anyone looking at the three-phase pump and modern cabling would have known that the installation had nothing to do with the generating function. We assume that this was something to do with Elizabeth Cowling and the Church, or another combination of occupiers in Lime Park looking to take advantage of the well on their doorstep.

Indeed, Mrs June Townley had asked about using the water from the old well for her garden during the water shortages in the 1990s.

George White and Thomas Hoy had seized on the existence of the 3-phase pump to persuade the Secretary of State that this was a replacement building, rather than a temporary conversion of the old generating buildings. It stinks to high heaven that Raymond Dannreuther would have gone along with the ruse.

Andrew Woodcock was a good and decent man. There is little doubt in our minds that his career was curtailed by his efforts to undo the damage that Wealden District Council had done, more than likely also affecting the career of Casper Johnson and Greg Chuter in 2016 concerning the planning application by Peter Townley for a granny annex conversion of the garages and outbuildings, reference number: WD/2016/0809/F. Since Mr Johnson was subsequently replaced. The timing of these departures is highly suspect and suggestive that anyone standing up for what is right, rather than what Wealden want you to believe, soon gets their P45.

The present incumbent is Greg Chuter. Mr Chuter is embroiled in the planning application by Clarion Group, Latimer Homes and Thakeham Developments for up to 70 houses, where around 28 of the proposed units hold the potential to poison the old well supplying the electricity generating buildings the subject of much expenditure by Wealden District Council who argued for over 20 years that these were not the old generating buildings in the hope of acquiring the premises for neighbours at an undervalue.

It turned out Ashley Brown, WDC's District Planning Officer at the time, was a keen amateur archaeologist.  However, Ashley Brown was in cover up mode.  The last thing he wanted to do was alert English Heritage to his council's deliberate subterfuge.  Many of the council's planning, enforcement and legal officers were in on the scam.  The object of the exercise was to nurse the lie all the way to the finishing post.  You can read an independent Report on the Generating Building by clicking HERE.