Development for brownfield site in Lewes is given go-ahead
September 12, 2024
A residential and commercial development in Lewes town centre has been approved today.
Members of the Planning Committee for the South Downs National Park Authority voted to approve plans for the former Lewes bus station, in Eastgate Street, subject to the completion of Section 106 legal agreement.
The Generator Group has been given permission to build 35 homes, including three houses and 32 flats, as well as 198m2 of commercial floorspace.
The bus station on the privately-owned site has been closed for more than a year and the permission means the developer will have to provide £291,000 towards alternative bus facilities on the southern side of Phoenix Causeway. This financial contribution must be provided as soon as the new development begins.
The new bus provision, to be delivered by East Sussex County Council, will include two bus stops with shelters and real-time passenger information on the southern side of The Causeway.
This will be complemented by a further three bus stops, with shelters, real-time information, a kiosk and toilet facilities, on the northern side of The Causeway. These facilities are being provided by Human Nature Ltd as part of the 685-home Phoenix development that was given the go-ahead earlier this year.
The original plans for the Eastgate Street site were refused two years ago and, following discussions with National Park planning officers, the revised plans include a development of reduced size, height and scale.
The site is allocated for development in the adopted South Downs Local Plan, which stipulates that any development must provide an operationally satisfactory alternative to the bus station. East Sussex County Council, which oversees public transport and highways, is satisfied that the new development meets this criteria.
Mike Hughes, Planning Director (Interim) of the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “This is a planning application that has attracted a great deal of public interest and understandably so, given its strategic position in thriving and historic Lewes.
“It’s a complex application for a key brownfield site that has been allocated for development for over a decade, including most recently in the South Downs Local Plan.
“We understand bus services and good infrastructure are a priority for local people and that’s why there is a very detailed and robust legal agreement attached to the planning permission, with a substantial financial contribution to help deliver the high-quality and safe bus infrastructure the town needs.
“Together with the Phoenix, this development will make use of a brownfield site, delivering much-needed housing and commercial opportunities for the town and local communities.”
