Minutes of a meeting held on Wednesday 1st April 2026, at 8.00 p. m., at the Chapter House, Southover Church.
Present: Roger Maskew, (in the Chair), John Gower, Carolyn Beckingham, Peter Earl as an invited guest and Julian Till as an observer.
(1) Apologies for Absence:- Apologies for absence were received from Will Dorman, Charles Meloy, Luke Bray, Andrew Winter and Alex Durn.
(2) Minutes of Previous Meeting:- The minutes of the meeting held on 4th March 2026 were approved.
(3) Presentation by John Gower:-
John Gower presented his redraft of the “Policy on Development in the Floodplain”, which was discussed in some detail. However, given the number of absentees, it was decided to consider this item again at the next meeting of the Planning Committee on the 06th May 2026.
(4) Executive Committee Meeting on 25th March 2026 :-
Key items discussed:-
(a) John Harbor, our prospective new treasurer, was welcomed to the meeting and introductions were made.
(b) North Street Quarter purchase by LDC. It was agreed that the Friends of Lewes will not support the representations from CAAG and the town council in questioning the LDC rationale for the purchase of the site.
(c) The Urban Design Group Conference in Lewes on Friday the 05th June 2026. Roger recently met the organiser of the conference, and will make the opening presentation in the morning session to be held at the Depot, followed by other presentations during the morning. Two walking tours of Lewes are planned for the afternoon, and both Peter Earl and Will Dorman have agreed to be guides.
(d) Following approval by the Planning Committee, the revised “Policy of Development in the Floodplain”, will tabled at the next meeting of the Executive Committee on the 27th May 2026.
5) Planning Decisions from 28/02/2026 to 26/03/2026:-
The following SDNPA decisions are available online:
SDNP/25/01502/HOUS: 1 Barn Road: Section 73A retrospective construction of timber outbuilding and alteration to boundary fence to provide gated access. Refused.
SDNP/25/04572/FUL: Grange Court, Grange Road: Proposed removal of all existing timber windows and doors and replacement with new windows and doors made from timber to front and side elevations, and white uPVC to the rear elevation (Amended Plans)(Amended Description). Approved.
SDNP/25/03557/HOUS: 43 Morris Road: Installation of new dormer to rear roofslope. Approved.
SDNP/25/02158/ADV: 219 High Street: Replacement of 1no non-illuminated fascia to front. Approved.
SDNP/25/01441/LDE: 46 Spences Lane: Use of property as two separate flats since 2015. Approved.
SDNP/25/00928/FUL: 1-2 Cliffe High Street: Change of use of the ground floor of No’s 1 and 2 to a Sui Generis public house, replacement rear extension to No. 1, new dormer and single storey rear extension to No. 2, foundation stabilisation works to No’s 1 and 2 and repairs to river all. Approved.
SDNP/24/03586/FUL: Garage Compound, Prince Charles Road. Demolition of garages and erection of 4 x affordable dwellings to rent. Approved.
SDNP/24/03472/FUL: Garage Compound, Waldshut Road: Demolition of garages and construction of 1no affordable dwelling to rent. Approved.
(6) New Planning Applications from 28/02/2026 to 26/03/2026:-
SDNP/26/00809/FUL: 20-21 High Street: Partial change of ground floor from Class E to form 2no residential units:
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal, as the Society considers it to be an overdevelopment of this existing town centre building, for the following reasons:-
(1) The proposed conversion to form two residential units is very contrived internally, and also relies on the conversion of a very small overgrown area at the rear of the existing building, to provide any external amenity space, which would appear to be unrealistic.
(2) Furthermore, the ‘section A’ drawing provided as part of the submission, clearly indicates that this proposed amenity space does not relate well to the ground floor level of the building to be converted to residential use.
(3) With reference to photographs provided in the ‘Design and Access Statement’, it is evident that there are already a large number wheelie bins to the rear of 20-21 High Street which are not screened from view. In this respect, there would appear to be no scope for adding further wheelie bins.
(4) Similarly, there would appear to be no scope for accommodating two additional cycle spaces without being an inconvenience to neighbours.
For these reasons, the Society would strongly recommend that this application should be refused.
SDNP/26/00904/LIS: 57 High Street: Removal of as-built fascia and re-instating of original timber fascia and installation of new signage to shop timber fascia with trough lighting above:
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal for the following reasons:-
(1) Whilst the Society welcomes the re-instatement of an original timber fascia to this shopfront, the proposed use of cut letters from 10mm thick black foam board to be fixed to the fascia, is considered to be wholly unacceptable and out of character within the Lewes Conservation Area.
(2) External illumination of the entire shop front is also unacceptable within the Conservation Area.
(3) Furthermore, the proposed re- use of the trough light above the fascia would be contrary to the South Downs National Park’s Dark Sky’s Policy.
(4) The Society is also aware of some outstanding issues within the interior of the shop, in relation to how shelves have been fitted to the structure of this Listed Building, which also need to be urgently addressed.
For these reasons, the Society would strongly recommend that this application should be refused.
SDNF/26/00876/FUL: 15 Spring Gardens: Enclosure of existing porches:
The Friends of Lewes object to this planning application, as the Society is of the view that this proposal is very similar to the previous Planning Application, (SDNP/23/04649FUL), which was refused in March 2024. Furthermore, the proposed installation of black timber cladding on the front elevation would also not be considered acceptable, as it would introduce an additional material to the front elevation of this residential building, which would have an adverse visual impact within the Conservation Area.
SDNP/26/01190/HOUS: 9 Cleve Terrace: Loft conversion with rooflight to front:
The Friends of Lewes have no objection to the introduction of this proposed rooflight into the front elevation to this terraced house in the Conservation Area. However, the Society would like to advise the applicant that a single rooflight would provide insufficient light for the conversion of the existing loft space into a habitable room, such as an additional bedroom, and also suggests that further advice be sought from Building Control, before proceeding with this project.
SDNP/26/00437/HOUS: 15 Mount Harry Road: Erection of wooden fencing around the side and front gardens including too number gates:
The Friends of Lewes object to this planning application, as the Society considers that the proposed fence and gates would be too high at this location, at the corner of the junction of Mount Harry Road and Caburn Crescent. Furthermore, there seems to be inconsistencies in the proposed heights of both the “pedestrian gate” and “driveway gate pair” at 1830mm compared to the “Drawing 3 – fence panel with trellis topper” at 1525mm. In addition, the “Block/Site Plan” suggests that the new fence is 1.83m high. The Society would therefore like to suggest that the height of the proposed fence should be limited to 1.0m, possible supplemented with suitable planting along the garden side of the site boundary.
The Committee examined the following applications and had no observations to make:
| SDNP/26/01197/FUL: 63 High Street. Conversion of existing building from Class E(c)(i) (Financial Services) to a self-contained three-bedroom dwelling (Class C3). |
| SDNP/26/01042/LIS: 4-6 the Bridge Wharf Brewery, Cliffe High Street. Installation of rooflights. |
| SDNP/26/01035/HOUS: 12 Mountfield Road. Erection of single-storey side extension and front porch extension |
| SDNP/26/01095/LDE: 24 Chapel Hill. Retaining of brick enclosure including monopitch roof. |
| SDNP/26/01041/LIS: 4-6 The Bridge Wharf Brewery, Cliffe High Street. Installation of Air Source Heat Pumps. |
| SDNP/26/01005/LIS: 144 High Street. Replacement of rotten windows to first and second floors of south and west elevations. |
| SDNP/26/00992/HOUS: 12 Nevill Crescent. Demolition of garage studio and erection of single storey side extension. |
| SDNP/26/01010/FUL: Telecommunications Mast 2 at County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent. Installation of a telecommunications base station comprising the addition of 6 no new antennas and 1 no new 300mm dish, together with ancillary development thereto on the rooftop of Lewes County Hall. |
| SDNP/26/00975/HOUS: 20 Evelyn Road. Replace conservatory with single storey rear extension. |
| SDNP/26/00811/HOUS: 6 St John’s Hill. Loft conversion including rear dormer and installation of 2no rooflights to front elevation. |
| SDNP/26/00632/HOUS: 27 Baxter Road. Construct retaining walls and a hard standing platform in the front garden to support the pressure of a mobility scooter. |
| SDNP/26/00510/FUL: 1B Prince Edward’s Road. Replacement of 7no windows and 4no doors, installation of 1no window to side of garage. |
| SDNP/26/00510/FUL: 49A Cliffe High Street. Installation of gas pipe to supply 2nd floor flat. |
| SDNP/26/00024/FUL: Installation of a new DDA compliant ramp to the West Entrance of Sackville House along with replacement of existing glazed screen and double doors with new entry syste |
(7) Flood Report for April 2026: By John Gower.
The Friends of Lewes (FoL) Planning Committee is currently drafting a “Policy on Development in the Floodplain” for Lewes and surrounding areas. Once agreed, the policy will be brought to the Executive Committee for formal ratification. Last November, the Lewes Floods 25th Anniversary Public Meeting voted by a large majority to restrict building new houses in the floodplain, a view that FoL supports. This formal policy will help the FoL put forward our views and objections to any inappropriate development proposals.
There have been no reports of significant flooding in Lewes this winter, but in Kenya 66 people were killed in sudden flooding and Tenerife experienced its worst storms in decades with up to 700mm of rainfall experienced over 6 days.
In the UK, the National Emergency Briefing have produced a film of their November 2025 conference on the climate crises, which is being shown at the Depot on Thursday 9 April. The film and conference paint a very sobering picture of the future, with climate change impacts, including flooding, accelerating.
The Friends of Lewes AGM is on 22nd April 2026 in the Lewes Town Hall Council Chamber. The speaker is Juliet Oxborrow, a director at the Lewes Climate Hub, who will talk about the Lewes Floods 25th Floods Anniversary Conference and Public Meeting held last autumn.
Juliet is currently writing the formal report of the event which will be published in May following the local council elections.
And finally, some good news. The Pells Pool are planning some improvements works and it has been very encouraging to note that their proposed new plant room and office accommodation have been designed to be floating, so when the pool area floods the new building will float and rise up above the flood waters! This is a very sensible adaptation which should be mirrored for all future building in the Lewes and surrounding areas floodplains.
(8) Any Other Business:-
Carolyn Beckingham asked if there had been any further progress with Shelleys Hotel. A 216 notice, to gain access to the building, has recently been served by Lewes District Council, to which the owner has objected.
(9) Date of Next Meeting:-
Wednesday, 06th May 2026, at 8.00pm in the Chapter House.
