'We are being held to ransom'

The private owners of the former Lewes Bus Station on Eastgate Street have given notice to East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to end their temporary licence to use the site for bus stops.

But the decision has angered local people who have campaigned to retain its use.

The site was bought on April 30 this year. Since then The Generator Group have consulted extensively with Lewes District Council (LDC), Lewes Town Council (LTC), South Downs National Park (SDNP), ESCC and other interested parties, regarding their development proposals and the need for existing bus stops on the site to be relocated.

The site was historically owned by Southdown Motor Services who developed it as a bus station and garage in the 1950s. In 2006 it was sold to private owners having been deemed no longer operationally necessary, and ceased being used as a bus station.

The site was allocated in the Local Plan for development since 2003, whilst part of the tarmac area has continued to be used by ESCC on a temporary licence basis for buses to drop off and pick up passengers.

A spokesperson for Generator Group said, “In an effort to assist ESCC to re-provide the bus stops we have been seeking engagement from them since May. To further assist, we commissioned transport consultants Caneparo Associates to survey the extent of bus stop use and review potential options re-providing bus stops in the town centre.

“Throughout this year, we have been continually frustrated by both repeated delays to secure meetings with ESCC and the lack of engagement on these important issues. We hope we can now assist ESC, stakeholders and the Lewes community to deliver a viable alternative solution.

“We hope the Re-provision Assessment report can form the basis on which all interested parties can work and consult, together with ESCC, to agree the reprovision of the bus stops on our site.

“We held a public consultation on our proposed plans to redevelop the site in September and received useful feedback.

“We aim to deliver new homes, spaces for small businesses and a safe and attractive pedestrian landscape and frontage between the High Street and the Phoenix Estate, working within Local Plan policy. We want to thank local people for their very useful feedback, which we are currently considering with a view to submitting a planning application early next year.”

Former Lewes District Councillor Vic Ient said: “The move by the Generator Group is ruthless and uncaring for the community in Lewes. Giving notice to terminate the use of the bus station is premature ahead of the granting of possible planning permission.

“I ask the company to withdraw this notice until such time when they obtain, if at all, planning permission to redevelop the site. I feel sad for passengers using this interchange site in Lewes.

“What the Group does not understand is that buses are an essential service for those who don’t have access to a car. Closure will affect those who can only get into Lewes to access shops and medical services by bus.

“What has the transport authority, East Sussex County Council been doing since this company consulted them over this closure - they seem to have been sitting on their hands and doing nothing.”

The personal view of Cllr Merlin Milner is: “For decades, local government and transport providers have failed to work out an integrated transport policy for Lewes. Now Lewesians are being held to ransom by the developers of the bus station.

“The Generator Group prematurely bought the site without any future bus interchange having been planned.

“This should have been designed with the involvement of the developers of North Street, Waitrose, and the town. The preferred solution of a bus interchange in Cliffe, proposed in the Generator Group’s flawed report, shows a fundamental lack of understanding of Lewes. Lewes needs a central bus interchange that allows for the future expansion of bus provision before any development is started.”