Planning Committee Report – 14th October 2026

Minutes of a meeting held on Wednesday 14th October 2026, at 8.00 p. m., at the Chapter House, Southover Church.

Present: Roger Maskew, (in the Chair), Will Dorman, John Gower, Luke Bray, Julian Till, Andrew Winter and Carolyn Beckingham.

1. Apologies for Absence:

Apologies for absence were received from Charles Meloy and Alex Durn.

2. Minutes of Previous Meeting:

The minutes of the meeting held on 09^th September 2026 were approved.

3. Executive Committee:

Key items discussed:

(a) A meeting with Rob Cottrill, (CEO of Lewes District / Eastbourne Borough Councils), to be

held on the 21st October.

(b) There was strong support from the Committee for our objection to the current proposals for the redevelopment of Eastgate Wharf, and it was agreed that the site should be part of a Masterplan for the centre of Lewes, including a suitable replacement of the former bus station site.

(c) Adrian Ross informed the meeting that the Tourist Information Centre is proposed to be located in the Barbican, but that the Town Council was still pushing for it to be in 187 High Street.

(d) The Committee was advised that the Town Council’s Flood Report of the 2000 floods in Lewes is going to be distributed at an evening event planned for the 30^th October in the Council Chamber. (Which was attended by Roger, Peter Earl and Bronagh Liddicoat).

(e) In order to commemorate 75 years of the Friends of Lewes in 2027, a programme of events is currently being considered by the Membership Committee.

4. Flood Report

The 12^th October marked the 26^th anniversary of the 2000 Lewes Floods, when 613 homes and more than 200 businesses were devastated, and more than 200 businesses were devastated, and 186 people had to sleep for several nights in emergency accommodation at the Town Hall and the Malling Community and Leisure Centres.

Lewes Town Council has recently published a report on the events of last autumn, when the 25th flood anniversary was marked with a very well attended flood conference, public meeting and Friends of Lewes exhibition of photographs and flood memories. The report covers the history of flooding in Lewes, discussions on the technical preparedness and flood response and the way forward. The FoL new policy against development in the flood plain is also featured. Aviva Insurance has warned that many homes being built in England could become uninsurable in the future because they are located in flood-risk areas. Read the Guardian report here. This warning has implications for the proposed developments at North Street, Eastgate Wharf and the former Bus Station in Lewes if they proceed as currently planned. Homes that cannot be insured may become unmortgageable and suffer a significant loss in value.

A community group, “Let’s Get Ready Lewes”, is preparing a guide to help residents prepare for and cope with emergencies caused by the climate crisis. FoL has been invited to contribute, particularly by strengthening the sections on flood risk. The proposed North Barnes development, dubbed the ‘Eton Mess’, between Plumpton and East Chiltington, would bring 3,250 new homes to the area. The proposal involves sending the resulting sewage to Lewes for treatment. This raises serious concerns about the capacity of the existing sewage infrastructure, including the Ham Lane pumping station, and the risk of increased discharges of untreated sewage directly into the River Ouse.

Although North Barnes is several miles from Lewes, this proposal highlights the importance of monitoring major developments throughout the River Ouse catchment.

Development upstream can have significant implications for Lewes, both in terms of flood risk, sewage and water quality and the capacity of essential infrastructure.

5. Decisions:

The following SDNPA decisions are available online:

SDNP/25/02085/OUT: 10 South Way. Outline planning application for the erection of a new house and garage to the rear of 10 South Way (Amended Description). Approved.

SDNP/26/00813/FUL: 137 High Street. Replacement of existing outbuilding with single storey detached classroom and erection of additional detached single storey classroom with associated landscaping. Approved.

SDNP/26/01813/FUL: 18 Eridge Green. Erection of single storey rear extension. Approved.

SDNP/26/02586/HOUS: 16A Landport Road. Single storey side and rear extensions with internal and fenestration alterations. Approved.

6. New Planning Applications:

03^rd September to 07^th October

SDNP/26/03583/FUL: Land East of Brooks Road: Demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment to provide Class E foodstore with ancillary parking, access and landscaping.

The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal for the following reasons:-

(1) This application must be considered against the new policies in the National Planning Policy Framework and the changes to the South Downs Local Plan, as well as the emerging Lewes Masterplan which will influence the Lewes Neighbourhood Plan.

(2) The loss of employment land is unacceptable and contrary to development plan policies including Lewes Neighbourhood Plan Policy HC4.

(3) Given the current high number of vacant shops in Lewes Town Centre, it is considered essential that an impact assessment be submitted in support of this application, which would need to show that this development would not have a significant adverse impact on the existing shopping environment, and to indicate how it will maintain or enhance town centre viability.

(4) It is unclear why Lidl has chosen to place their store in an active flood plain and to locate their convenience store adjacent to a newly enlarged Aldi, Tesco and Waitrose. In times of flood the food security of the town would be under threat, which conflicts with National Planning Policy Framework, which states that development should be steered to the lowest to areas with the lowest risk of flooding.

(5) This proposal would focus all shopping related traffic movements onto a single part of the town’s road system, which would be undesirable and raises both highway capacity and safety issues. Furthermore, this application does not fit well with the emerging development of the town with the focus on modal shift and large increases in cyclists from the Phoenix and Old Malling Farm housing areas.

(6) As a large proportion of the site will effectively be sealed by the proposed building and tarmac, it would be essential that a porous surface be provided with provision for adequate storm attenuation measures to be accommodated. However, this might be difficult to achieve as the water table is frequently very high on the proposed development site.

(7) In sustainability terms, the proposals do not make any use of the existing buildings on the site, which are relatively new and should be repurposed in order to save the embodied carbon. Furthermore, with land at a premium, it seems short-sighted that only a single storey development is being proposed.

(8) Given the important location of this site as the “gateway to the historic town of Lewes”, the proposed building lacks architectural merit, being sited adjacent to the conservation area and a grade 1 listed building, the Jireh Chapel. As such, the proposals are contrary to both SDLP Strategic Policy SD12 Historic Environment, and Strategic Policy SD25 Development Strategy, and effectively demonstrate that this is site is unsuitable for the construction of a large Class E foodstore.

SDNP/26/03435/FUL: Erection of 12 floodlights to existing tennis courts.

The Friends of Lewes are concerned that the introduction of these floodlights must comply with the Southdown Downs National Park’s Policy on Dark Skies.

SDNP/26/03642/HOUS & 03643/LIS: 59 Southover High Street: Installation of2no linked dormer windows and 2no rooflights to rear roof, creation of internal ensuite shower room.

The Friends of Lewes object to the introduction of one large linked dormer to the rear roof. Of particular concern is the introduction a vertical panel in order to link the two proposed dormer windows. In this respect, the Society considers it this would be visually difficult to achieve using vertically matching roof tiles.

SDNP/26/03869/HOUS: 8 Queen Annes Close: Loft conversion including new dormer with Juliet balcony to rear roofslope and 2no rooflights to front roofslope.

The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal as it does not comply with the agreed policy regarding the introduction of a new dormer within an existing roof, and would result in a bulky structure close to the existing ridge. Furthermore, although this elevation has been described as the “Proposed Rear (South East) Elevation” it would be clearly visible from the public realm in Prince Edward’s Road.

The Committee examined the following applications and had no observations to make:

SDNP/26/02629/DCOND: Old Malling Farm, Old Malling Way. Discharge of condition 10 (Levels) for SDNP/18/06103/OUT: (Revised Drawings)

SDNP/26/03095/LDP: 12 Clare Road. Garden room.

SDNP/26/03419/HOUS: 43 The Avenue. Replace sash window.

SDNP/26/03481/LIS: HM Prison Lewes, 1 Brighton Road. Intrusive investigation works to the existing boundary wall at HMP Lewes, including localised opening-up and trial investigations to establish the construction, condition and structural arrangement of the historic wall.

SDNP/26/03493/HOUS: 23 Meridian Road. Two-storey side extension.

SDNP/26/03513/TEL: Southern Water Authority, Ham Lane. Proposed new pole.

SDNP/26/03523/LIS: Flat 1, Castle View Apartments, 1A St Martin’s Lane. Refurbishment of the first-floor flat comprising of replacing modern plasterboard linings, insulations and partitions with natural insulation and lime plaster systems, replacing the floor, kitchen and bathroom and repairing and restoring the bay window and fireplace.

SDNP/26/03526/FUL: Malling House, Sussex Police HQ, Church Lane, South Malling. PV panels to roof.

SDNP/26/03548/SUPD: Unit 1, Daveys Yard, Daveys Lane. Low voltage underground cable.

SDNP/26/03550/LIC: The Lewes Arms, 1 Mount Place. Premises license review.

SDNP/26/03581/HOUS: Coney Croft, Landport Farm. New entrance porch and single storey side extension to replace old utility room to consist of new larger open plan kitchen inc. internal alterations.