New affordable homes in Lewes take climate action to next level
February 8, 2023
A new net-zero-carbon development in the National Park is due to start this year and be completed by spring 2024.
The homes will be built on the site of the former Pells Church of England School in Lewes, providing 32 homes for affordable rent and shared ownership, including four Lewes Low Cost homes.
It comes after the proposals were approved by the National Park Authority.
The school closed permanently in August 2017 and the 0.9 hectare site is now owned by Raven Housing Trust, which is a registered provider of social housing.
As well as being Raven’s second completely net-zero-carbon development, the Lewes development will be its first to be built using Modern Methods of Construction – a construction technique that generally delivers high-quality homes at a quicker rate.
Raven’s Stephen Clements, assistant director of development, said: “We’re thrilled to have exchanged contracts on the Pells development in Lewes.
“The site contributes further to our net-zero ambitions, and will provide a good number of affordable, modern homes in a time when a secure home is more important than ever.
“It’s also very exciting to be developing the site using modular, modern methods of construction, impacting less on the local community during the build, and providing affordable, warm homes with lower bills for customers.”
Tim Slaney, director of planning at the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “This is a high-quality development providing much-needed affordable housing for local communities within the National Park.
“The development’s environmental credentials are significant and these zero-carbon homes dovetail with our priorities of nature recovery and climate action, as well as providing much cheaper energy bills to residents.”
They will be built using Homes England funding, as well as Raven’s own funds, in addition to £630,000 of funding provided by the National Park Authority. This pot of money comes from developer contributions and is ringfenced specifically to deliver new affordable housing schemes.