Lewes Town Council is striving to make the voices of its abandoned residents heard before a meeting of the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA)’s Planning Committee which will decide the fate of the state of the former bus station site.
A previous application by the site’s owner, the Generator Group was rejected by the committee in 2022, due to its lack of affordable housing amongst many other concerns.
A new application has been submitted by the developer and the SDNPA’s officers have recommended it be approved, subject to certain conditions. The final decision will be made by the SDNPA Planning Committee on Thursday 12 September.
Lewes Town Council’s Planning Committee, which offers local perspective on planning applications in Lewes to the SDNPA as a statutory consultee, had strongly objected to the new application for the bus station site.
No alternative bus station provision
In particular, concerns were raised around plans for a provision of alternative bus facilities on the southern side of Phoenix Causeway when one reason for objection to the previous application included the need for an “an operationally satisfactory bus facility.”
Mayor of Lewes Councillor Imogen Makepeace, who is also Chair of the Lewes Town Council Planning Committee said:
“We are bitterly disappointed that this plan has been recommended for approval by the South Downs National Park Authority’s officers, and wish to rally its Planning Committee to make the right decision for the people of Lewes.
“The Park’s own condition that the Bus Station be relocated to a fully functional and accessible location is not being upheld. Instead they apparently believe that three bus stops either side of a busy 30mph road complies.
“East Sussex County Council and the SDNPA have highlighted the importance of public transport for climate change, air quality, public health and economic reasons, yet are utterly failing to support their own policies.
“The committee haven’t visited the site, despite several invitations from local groups eager to help them judge this application fairly. Every elected representative of this town has opposed this plan, which would set a devastating national precedent for dismissing public transport services within a national park.
“This is why, if the committee approve this plan, I will support a decision by campaign groups to request a judicial review.”
Supporting an Asset of Community Value
Councillors have worked hard alongside local residents through the long process of planning for the site to stress the importance of preserving the sense of place and community that the bus station provides both as a building and as a bus terminal.
The Mayor continued:
“I also want to emphasise that the Bus Station building has been given an Asset of Community Value status. The plans to demolish it in favour of high-end housing (with only two designated affordable homes) and commercial outlets (when we already have several empty shops) does not fit our expectations that were stated by our residents in the Neighbourhood Plan.
“The new application is hardly any different from the first and if it is approved Lewes residents, who have campaigned so hard for a plan that benefits the town, will feel abandoned by the Park.”
Join our councillors at the planning meeting
Lewes Town Council has hired a bus to transport councillors and those who wish to attend the planning meeting in person to the SDNPA’s headquarters in Midhurst where the meeting is being held.
Councillor Makepeace finished by saying:
“I will be attending the Planning Committee meeting with my fellow councillors and Lewes residents. It is ironic that we must make an 85 mile round trip via bus to Midhurst which has few public transport links, in order to stress the importance of public transport in the place that we live. Because there are no connections, we have hired a bus to make it an easier and more environmentally friendly journey.
“At the meeting I want to make the voices of those residents and visitors to Lewes who weren’t able to go through the complex process of commenting on the planning application heard.
“The elderly, the families with small children outside of the town centre and the disabled people are some of those who need a safe place to change buses.”
Anybody who wishes to attend the meeting via the Lewes Town Council hired bus, which will leave from Lewes Crown Court at 9am, should contact Councillor Edwina Livesey on cllr.livesey@lewes-tc.gov.uk for further details.
If you are unable to attend, you can watch the meeting via livestream which you can access on the SDNPA website. Members of the public are able to watch meetings and committee meeting live online, or for up to 6 months after each meeting.