Cycle Lewes play a central role in staging a masterplanning workshop for Lewes
Above: Clair Tester (right) from South Downs National Park Planning Department with Cycle Lewes’ own Steve Pearce who chaired the day-long workshop event.
As reported in the October newsletter, members of Cycle Lewes took a lead role in organising a workshop in Lewes Town Hall on 22 October under the title of “a masterplan for Lewes”. 60 people attended the workshop, representing all walks of life and interests in Lewes – including Councils, the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), neighbourhood representatives, traders and business, other service providers, and civic, community and other special interest groups.
These 60 people were bolstered by 20 or so ‘other voices’ – a video presentation aired during the workshop comprising eloquent speakers from constituencies often excluded from traditional consultative exercises - young people, people struggling economically, black and minority ethnic people, older people, people with disabilities, families with young children, and so on.
The aim of the workshop was to produce a set of policies and site planning proposals for Lewes to submit to the National Park in order to influence the next version of the South Downs Local Plan and so ensure that development in the town addresses the very real issues we face - affordable housing, suitable workspace, facilities for young people and families; not to mention support for cycling, wheeling and walking.
There was an opportunity to influence the future development of several key sites within the town, so that development responded positively to the issues and challenges facing the town today. Attendees agreed that a ‘business as usual’ approach, which has resulted in some unacceptable development proposals and unnecessary delays, would only exacerbate these challenges.
The workshop was held in October because the SDNPA local planning authority the town the opportunity to provide a further response to the Regulation 18 draft Local Plan ahead of the drafting of the Regulation 19 draft Local Plan from November onwards. Attendees expressed their appreciation of this offer and in return committed to work collaboratively and realistically with the National Park to develop a plan that delivers a much better town, a plan that meets both the needs of the local population and the strategic objectives of the National Park and other statutory bodies.
The workshop concluded that future development in the town should address specific housing needs and priorities, promote local employment opportunities, reduce car dependence, promote more active travel, build community cohesion, harvest natural resources whilst preserving scarce finite resources, and, most particularly, be developed in close co-operation with the existing residents and businesses of the town from all sectors of the community.
A report of the workshop was submitted to the National Park on 31st October that included:
suggested amplifications and changes to the policies in the previous version of the draft Local Plan that reflect the conclusions above
a suggestion of a Special Policy Area for the whole of Lewes, together with the preparation of a Supplementary Planning Document for the town to flesh out the detail
specific proposals for the major and / or allocated sites in Lewes that more closely reflect the policy changes above
some innovative proposals related to a potential delivery model aimed at getting appropriate development underway in Lewes in a timely fashion.
Above: Lisa Symonds (right) from East Sussex Highways Department with Jamie Wahn from WSP talking about their work on the new Local Walking Cycling Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).
Above: Claire Tester, Head of Planning Policy at SDNP
Above: From the recently formed Lewes Planning Group, Andrew Simpson sets out the allocated housing sites within the South Downs National Park’s Draft Local Plan.
A full response has been received from the National Park that includes a number of policy changes that reflect suggestions in the report – particularly to special policies for Lewes – as well as a continuing commitment to work with Lewes Town Council and the Lewes Planning Group to develop a ‘masterplan’ for the town that addresses the issues referred above. The response also noted that some issues of the issues raised at the workshop should be discussed within the context of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) or Neighbourhood Plan, for instance.
Cycle Lewes and the Lewes Planning Group will continue to work with the Town Council, SDNPA, East Sussex County Council and other partners to bring about change to the fabric of the town that facilitates an improved active travel- and public transport-based lifestyle.
Cycle Lewes members and supporters that wish to contribute and / or get involved in this work should attend the Cycle Lewes AGM or write to Steve Pearce at stevepearce139@gmail.com