Lewes District Local Plan consultation: residents encouraged to have their say on future development

The council announced on Wednesday, December 6, that the spatial strategy and policies document sets out the policies and framework for new homes, employment space and community facilities.

The council said the draft plans are evidence-led and said the information has been gathered by council officers to inform ‘where development, such as new homes, employment space and community facilities, is appropriate and where it is not’.

Leader of Lewes District Council Zoe Nicholson said: “Community involvement remains crucial if we are to show the government what housing numbers are genuinely sustainable in Lewes district. While many sites are being assessed and consulted upon, residents should not take anything for granted. This is a long process that will lead to all the evidence we have gathered being examined by the government's planning inspector before the new local plan is formally adopted.”

The council said the public consultation was considered at Full Council on Monday, November 20, and is open until February 8, 2024.

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Councillor Laurence O’Connor, Cabinet Member for Planning, said: “The draft local plan is much more than just a road map for where homes and businesses will be developed in the future. Using the vast amount of evidence our officers have so far collected, it informs a raft of policies that are key to deciding planning applications received by the council in the future.”

Lewes District Council said the government gives every council an annual housing target for new homes built and said the target for Lewes district is 602 homes per year, double the previous target.

But the council said: “The evidence gathered so far by the council, including 42,000 representations from residents and organisations that followed the ‘call for sites’ and issues and options documentation, shows that a maximum of 210 homes a year is deliverable.”

The district council said the consultation process will include: drop-in events and exhibitions, online feedback, highlighting key themes on council social media, webinars for parish councils, the deposit of documents in key locations for inspection, plus a webinar for all district councillors.