Representations made on planning applications following the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 5th March 2025

SDNP/25/00292/FUL: Former Garden Street Auction Rooms. Demolition of existing industrial buildings and provision of 18 residential units with associated amenity, car and cycle parking provision.

The Friends of Lewes objected to the two previous planning applications for this site, and although this proposal is considered to be an improvement over the last application (SDNP/23/03275/FUL), the Society is not yet able to support this application, unless the following comments are fully taken into account:-

1. The design of the proposed scheme is considered to be excessively high and over dominant when viewed from the corner of Garden Street and Southover Road. The Society suggests that the size of flat 17 should be reduced and set back from the street frontage.
2. Furthermore, the northern / eastern corner of the proposed development, facing Southover Road and Lewes Station is considered to be very dominant, (largely as a result of the significant drop in ground level from Southover Road to the level of the station platforms), to the extent that its visual impact of the proposed development on the ‘Public Realm’ is considered to be unacceptable, especially when viewed from the station platforms, (as shown in the  illustration from Station Road in the ‘Visual Impact Study’).
3. Overall, the resulting size of the building being located in the northern part of the site is considered to be excessive, and needs to be reduced in height, in order that a number of longer ‘key’ views of the Downs to the east can be appreciated.
4. It is also noted that the proposed scheme does not comply with Network Rail concerns about the need to ensure that all parts of the proposed building need to be a minimum of 3 metres distant from the curtilage of the station, which would require the entire ‘footprint’ of the  scheme to be set back further from the site boundary.
5. The Society is aware that East Sussex County Council have submitted an ‘objection due to insufficient information’, as the applicant has failed to meet the requirements to assess the site’s acceptability in flood risk terms.
6. Furthermore, although the existing 1200mm diameter storm water overflow tunnel has been identified and clearly illustrated on the ‘Landscape General Arrangement Plan’, the culverted Winterbourne Stream that passes under the site has not been shown, and may yet prove to be a further constraint on the proposed layout of the development.
7. It is also noted that although the number of residential units has been increased from 17 to 18 apartments, the number of car parking spaces has been reduced from 13 to 12. Whilst the central location of this site might encourage future residents not to own cars, there are very few on street car parking spaces available locally, which is considered to be an important issue by existing residents.
8. The Society would therefore like to propose that East Sussex County Council, as the local highway authority, be requested to consider this proposal as a “non permit development”, should it be considered for approval. This would prevent, future residents applying for a car parking permit on the local streets.
9. The Society strongly regrets that no social housing is proposed within this development.
10. The Society is also aware of the concern of local residents about the possibility of Garden Street having to be closed to enable this proposal to be erected, should it proceed, which would have a significant impact locally.

SDNP/25/00496/HOUS: White Hart Hotel, 55 High Street. Demolition of the former hotel annex and construction of five new dwellings with parking and associated landscaping.

The Friends of Lewes are not yet able to support this scheme, unless the following comments are fully taken into account:- 

1. The demolition of the former hotel annex is welcomed as it is considered to have little architectural merit and has fallen into disrepair.
2. The construction of five new dwellings offers the opportunity to provide good quality family houses at a central location in Lewes.
3. The illustrations of the proposed terrace of five dwellings indicates the potential for a good quality scheme of interesting proportions. However, to succeed, the high quality of materials would have to be maintained.
4. However, the close juxtaposition of the proposed dwellings so close to the main hotel building does give rise for concern in terms of the best use of the space available, in order to enable the hotel to operate successfully.
5. In this context, it may be necessary for the terrace of five dwellings to be set back further from the hotel and to be provided with smaller gardens to the rear.
6. As currently proposed, the Society considers that the combination of the additional accommodation on the top floor of each unit and the provision of individual garden rooms in the rear gardens seems to be excessive and possibly be an overdevelopment of this site.
7. The combination of this top floor and the use of balconies on the rear elevation is likely to result in overlooking of neighbours gardens and resulting loss of privacy.
8. As vehicular access to the site is so restricted, the ability to carry out this development, whilst maintaining adequate access to the hotel is considered to be doubtful. In this respect, the Society has noted the objection of East Sussex County Council as the Highway Authority.
9. Given the central location of this site, the Society recommends that there is no provision for any specific car parking for the development, and that all the available car parking spaces should be for the sole use of the hotel.
10. Although some secure cycle storage is proposed for the new development, the size of the provision is considered to be inadequate and should be enlarged.
11. No provision has yet been indicated for any wheelie bin storage for the five proposed dwellings, which is considered to be both essential and also needs to be provided discretely on such a busy town centre site.

SDNP/25/00660/HOUS: 15 Southdown Avenue. Loft conversion, change from hip end to gable end roof and two new dormer windows to the front to replace single dormer and installation and installation of one new dormer to the rear and several other alterations.

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

1. The removal of both of the existing hips and their replacement with two gable ends results in a substantial change to the overall appearance of the house, particularly to the south elevation, which is considered to be unacceptable.
2. These proposed changes are further emphasised by the use of contrasting materials in the new gables, which do not match those used on the original house before the garage was added, presumably at a later date.
3. The proposal also includes the conversion of the existing garage and the accommodation above into an annexe, which presumably could be used separately from the main house.
4. The Society would therefore like to suggest that there is now an opportunity to improve the integration of the proposed annexe with the original house by extending the existing hip on the east elevation to include the annexe.
5. Extending the existing roof would also enable additional accommodation to be provided in the second floor space.  

SDNP/25/00728/HOUS: 14 The Avenue. Demolition of the existing garage, porch and front chimney stack, alterations to existing window openings and replacement windows, loft conversion, including new dormer windows, new porch and internal alterations, new double garage and gym with new access driveway and new landscaping.

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

1. The proposals would have an adverse impact on the street scene, which in the Society’s opinion would be detrimental to the character of the Conservation Area.
2. The existing garage is not only relatively small, but is also set back close to the eastern boundary of the site, some distance from the street frontage.
3. The visual impact of the existing house is not as dominant as the ‘Existing Street Elevation’ would suggest, as the house itself is sited well back from the Avenue, within a large garden and approximately 3 metres lower than the existing pedestrian entrance level, and largely hidden from view by the existing boundary fence.
4. In contrast, the proposed garage is not only significantly larger incorporating a very dominant modern metal roof, but is also located very close to the northern boundary of the site.
5. The visual impact is further exacerbated by relocating the vehicular entrance in a central position, which would expose the house to full view from the Avenue. 
6. Whilst the Society is less concerned generally about the overall alterations to the house itself, the position of the new entrance would enable the proposed large square roof dormer to full view from the Avenue as illustrated in the ‘Proposed Street Elevation’.
7. In order to reduce this adverse visual impact, the Society would like to suggest the following amendments:-

(a) That the proposed garage be located further back from the boundary and incorporate a lower roof profile.

(b) Such a relocation would also enable more planting to be provided along the boundary.

(c) That the new vehicular entrance be located closer to the western boundary of the site rather than in the central location currently proposed.

(d) That gates should also be provided to help screen the house and garden from public view.

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

Representations made on planning applications following the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 5th February 2025

SDNP/24/24/05304/FUL & 05305/LIS: 190 High Street. Change of use of vacant bank (Class E (c)(i)) to 5 bed house (C3) and 5 self-contained flats (C3) including internal and external alterations such as repairing of sash windows, sub-dividing of rear garden with fencing and removal of roof to t=-external yard.

The Friends of Lewes object to the loss of ground floor commercial floor space at this significant location near the war memorial in Lewes High Street.

The Society considers that it is an important townscape objective to maintain the opportunity to provide a range of commercial activities on ground floors, with easy access from the High Street, in order to sustain a variety of activities, and amenities within the Town Centre.

However, the Society would like to suggest that there is scope to provide residential accommodation on both first and second floors of the existing building, but appreciates that this would require a major review of the current proposed accommodation layout.  

Furthermore, adequate space needs to be provided to the rear of the property, for the provision of cycle storage for residents and for off street storage for a variety of recycling bins for each residential dwelling. 

SDNP/25/00012/ADV: Tescos Supermarket Brooks Road. Installation of 3no Fascia and 4no Graphic signs to proposed Timpson Pod.

The Friends of Lewes object to the siting of this proposal so close to the main entrance to the supermarket, which is located in a very congested area, with a combination of pedestrians, shopping trolleys, taxis and vehicles trying to park or to depart from the site.

Furthermore, the Society objects to the ‘box like’ appearance of the proposed ‘pod’, and is concerned that if approved, it could establish a precedent for further ‘pods’ to be proposed on other locations within the curtilage of the Tesco car park.

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