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In a public vote, 64 per cent rejected the plans which would have seen the First World War Commemoration Hall knocked down.
Tim Page, of the Save Our Wadhurst WW1 Commemoration Hall & Field group, thanked the 796 who queued to vote ‘no’ but warned of challenges that lie ahead.
“We are joining together to oppose future development in Wadhurst,” he told the Times.
“The authorities are planning to concrete over the village and there are a lot of people who have moved here [for the green spaces].”
Wealden District Council has identified the village as a spot for 91 homes as part of their Local Plan.
This is part of the 2013-2028 scheme, which will see 14,228 homes built in Wealden borough – 7,700 of which have already been completed.
As of yet, the objectors are not focusing their efforts on opposing any individual building scheme.
Mr Page thanked his co-campaigners Jim Hemsley and Andrea Tincombe for their efforts in securing the ‘no’ vote.
He continued: “Wealden are planning to build on every green spot. So we are grouping together now as a community and we want to build on our strength in numbers.”
On their Local Plan strategy, a District Council spokesman commented: “The proposed submission Local Plan seeks to meet Wealden’s Objectively Assessed Housing Need by providing for new homes across the district.
“At the same time it imposes a range of environmental safeguards to protect our landscape and ecology. It aims to maintain Wadhurst as an attractive place to live, safeguarding its special landscape and historic characteristics and improving health, community and leisure facilities.
“The Development Boundary will protect the village’s sensitive setting within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, while allowing for 91 new homes to be built utilising three specific sites.
“The new homes will seek to redress the current imbalance in the village toward large four and five bedrooms dwellings by focussing on the provision of more one and two bed homes.”
