Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public, or charge for admission.

This year’s event in Lewes includes free access to 18 different buildings in Lewes, some with special tours. In addition, 7 different guided walks are to take place in the town with 10 start times to cater for high levels of interest.

Advance booking through Eventbrite is essential for some of these tours and walks.

Booking opens on 18^th of August 2023, and closes the day before the event.

Brochure, full details, and how to book your place for tours

An opportunity not to be missed!

Lewes 2023 Heritage Open Days leaflet

Click on image to enlarge for details of open buildings and walks

Lewes Heritage Open Days is organised by the Friends of Lewes

 

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Friends of Lewes has been in consultation with Human Nature regarding the proposed Phoenix Development since early 2021. Members of the Executive Committee, and the Trees Committee, met with representatives of Human Nature on no less than nine occasions before making our submission to the SDNPA portal, detailing which aspects of the proposals we support, and which are areas of concern.

For example, while the removal of some of trees within the Tree Preservation Order to the North side of Phoenix Causeway may have been accepted for the previous Santon development in December 2015, our local councils now recognise that the climate emergency makes the ecosystem values of established trees even more important.

This, together with the introduction of new planning policies and legislation since December 2015, amounts to a material change of circumstances against which all new planning applications must be considered as a priority.

Following the preliminary response by SDNPA to Human Nature’s hybrid planning application for the Phoenix site on 12^th June 2023, Human Nature have informed us that they are working hard on a range of amendments to their proposals in response to the National Park comments and these will be completed by early September. Meanwhile, they have agreed that further meetings between Friends of Lewes and Human Nature should be postponed until that work is completed and there is a chance to assess the outcomes.

1 August 2023

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The Friends of Lewes response to Human Nature’s application – News item 20 May 2023

Friends of Lewes Response to Human Nature’s Phoenix Planning Application of February 2023 [17 May 2023, pdf 242KB]

Image from Human Nature’s email, 27 April 2023

 

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Representations made on planning applications following the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 4 July 2023:

SDNP/23/02109/FUL: 205 High Street: Section 73A Retrospective application for front fascia restored and redesigned, redirection of flue extract at rear, erection of a rear timber single-storey extension, replacement of window at rear and an addition of another flue extract.
The Friends of Lewes object to this retrospective application, as the Society considers that the design of the front façade at this prominent location in the High Street, to be totally unacceptable within the Conservation Area. Furthermore, the Society is aware that this property has been highlighted in the current Lewes CAAMP and Article 4 Direction Review consultation document, as being an example of an unacceptable design solution within the Conservation Area.

SDNP/23/02186/HOUS: 50 Morris Road: Replacement of UPVC windows to front elevation with timber sash windows, addition of tile hanging to front bay window, painted detailing to gable end to front, repainting of front door, and replacement of concrete path to front with tiles.
The Friends of Lewes support and welcome this proposal, as it will result in a significant improvement to the streetscape in Morris Road, and the Society commends the initiative of the owners. However, in order to ensure the success of the proposal, it would be useful to have details of the proposed windows to be submitted.

SDNP/23/02288/LIS: 137 High Street: Refurbishment of 40no. windows to match existing.
The Friends of Lewes support the replacement of the windows in this listed building and appreciates the amount of work involved, including improvements to the draught proving. However, the Society would like to suggest that conservation grade double glazing should be considered if at all possible, in order to decrease heat loss from the building.

SDNP/23/02298/LIS: The White Hart Hotel 55 High Street: Internal alterations including the relocation of bar and reception, introduction of guest bedrooms on lower ground floor, demolition and replacement of conservatory with associated works.
The Friends of Lewes support and welcome these proposed works, as the Society considers that it will revitalise an important historic building in the centre of Lewes. As such, the improved hotel will act as a significant amenity for both residents and visitors.

SDNP/23/02456/HOUS: 4 St Nicholas Lane: Section 73a retrospective application for the erection of a single storey rear extension and installation of decking and cladding to the dormer.
The Friends of Lewes object to the use of UVPC cladding to the rear dormer and notes that UVPC has also been used in the fenestration to the rear. As such, the Society considers to use of UVPC to be unacceptable within the Conservation Area, even if the material cannot be seen from St Nicholas Lane.

SDNP/23/02515/CND: Lewes New School Talbot Terrace: Removal of conditions 3 (fitting of automated black-out blinds) and 8 (use of outdoor space only to take place between 9am and 5pm every day) related to Planning Approval SDNP/22/04944/FUL.
The Friends of Lewes object to the removal of either of these conditions. Condition 3, the fitting of automated black-out blinds, will limit the amount of light emitted from the building in accordance with the current “Dark Skies Policy”. Condition 8, the use of the outdoor space only to take place between 9am and 5pm every day, will limit the amount of noise and intrusion within the neighbourhood outside school hours.

SDNP/23/02589/HOUS: 6 Park Road: Construction of roof dormer and installation of 1no roof light.
The Friends of Lewes appreciate that the proposed roof dormer is effectively to the rear of the Park Road frontage and located within a large garden. However, the Society considers the proposal to be a little ‘clumsy’ and considers that the proposed shower might be able to be accommodated within the existing roof space, or within the area that appears to be designated for storage or a dressing room. The Society also notes that there is no ‘western elevation’ illustrating the proposed Velux roof light.

SDNP/23/02568/FUL: Pannetts Building Railway Lane: Extensions and alterations to provide retail use at ground floor and conversion of other areas to provide 2 x 3 bed flats, 4 x 2 bed flats and 1 x 3 duplex flat with external terrace and alteration to existing roof.
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal as it raises a number of concerns that the Society considers need to be addressed further, as follows:-

1. Although the Society welcomes the retention of commercial uses on the ground floor and on part of the first floor, there is a total lack of any storage space for bicycles, rubbish bins and recycling bins for any of the future occupants, which is considered to be totally unacceptable at this busy location.
2. The significant increase in height in order to accommodate a single bedroomed flat on the fourth floor is considered to be unacceptable and the roof terrace facing the river would have an adverse visual impact on the roofline of this east elevation.
3. The additional structure to accommodate the proposed lift on the south elevation is not considered to be well detailed, and indeed future occupants of the third and fourth floors would still be required to use internal staircases.
4. As an alternative approach, it is suggested that consideration be given to providing a lift structure in the centre of the Railway Lane elevation that would provide access to all floors and as such act as a design feature on the former warehouse building.

SDNP/23/02569/LIS: 140 High Street: Hard and soft landscaping to rear.
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposed landscaping scheme to the rear of 140 High Street, as the Society considers that a more permeable solution, that would improve any surface water run-off, would be a more appropriate landscaping solution at this location.

 

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

SDNP/23/01070/HOUS: 33 Spences Lane	Erection of a single storey rear extension.
SDNP/23/01515/LDE: 119A South Street	Change of use from office/storage to residential for an ancillary building.
SDNP/23/02002/HOUS: 9 Talbot Terrace	Addition of rear dormer, demolition of existing rear extension, alterations to rear fenestration, and addition of rooflights to front and rear.
SDNP/23/02271/HOUS: 3 Montacute Road	Erection of a single-storey rear extension and internal remodelling on ground floor.

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The consultation period for a new plan to redevelop the former bus station in Lewes has now opened.

The Generator Group has submitted plans to build 35 residential dwellings, including three houses and 32 flats, as well as 198m² of commercial floorspace at the site in Eastgate Street. The proposals also include access alterations, landscaping and parking.

A previous application for the site was refused by the National Park’s Planning Committee in September last year.

People can submit comments on the new proposals until 17 August 2023 via the National Park’s online planning portal: https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/

Search for the application using the reference number: SDNP/23/02973/FUL

Visualisation – View 2, from SDNPA Planning Portal
© ECE Architecture

 

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Lewes Priory was once one of the largest and wealthiest monasteries in the kingdom with as many as a hundred monks devoting their lives to prayer, while many of the townspeople of Lewes were employed by the Priory to grow and cook their food, tend their livestock, mill their flour, build and maintain their fine buildings and much else besides.

Following the success of last year’s sell-out tours, Lewes Priory Trust is once again running walking tours of the Priory ruins, and Southover Church, which houses the bones of William and Gundrada de Warenne who founded the Priory in the 11th century, and was once the guest house of the Priory.

The tours, led by a member of Lewes Priory Trust who is a professional guide, tells the story of the rise and fall of this magnificent Priory, which was such an important part of Lewes life for 450 years.

Booking is essential. Tickets are available from the Tourist Information Centre, 187 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2DE. Tel 01273 483448.

 

 

Please click to enlarge the poster for more details, or visit the Priory Trust’s website

 

 

 

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A talk on Zoom

Marcus Taylor: Lewes Heritage Open Days 2023: a preview of some buildings opening this year

Heritage Open Days has been an annual series of national events since 1994. Friends of Lewes has been centrally involved in this annual celebration of our heritage for many years, taking on the primary responsibility for organising the weekend about 10 years ago.

This year offers a tempting selection: Lewes offers plenty to choose from and this year sees a mix of new places and long-standing favourites.

The programme, spread over 8th to 10th September, includes free access to 17 different buildings, some with special tours. In addition, six different guided walks will take place in the town with different start times to cater for high levels of interest. Some of the events are for limited numbers and require online booking, which is planned to open on August 18th.

Rusty House Lewes, image © Oast House Archive

This talk is free to members of the Friends of Lewes, and £4 to non-members. Non-members can buy a ticket (£4) from TicketSource, which will provide a link to register for this Zoom talk.

Members will receive an email with a link to Zoom registration.

Once you have registered, you will receive our confirmation email with a link to the talk. Please click on that link to attend the talk 5 minutes before it starts.

We would recommend a computer screen or an iPad as a minimum screen-size for viewing our Zoom talks.

Our presenter will be speaking live, and you can ask questions by typing in the Chat box in Zoom.

See the Diary page for a list of  forthcoming events organised by the Friends of Lewes

 

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The Lewes Conservation Area, which covers most of the central part of the town, is under the spotlight as part of a public consultation being launched by the South Downs National Park Authority.

The consultation period has now been extended to 12 noon on 8 August 2023.

Details of the Consultation and how to take part in the survey

Harvey’s Brewery, Lewes. Image from the SDNPA website

 

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The Friends of Lewes Summer 2023 Newsletter is now available as a pdf [1.1 MB]

Picture of a robin on a sunflower, by Nick Robinson

Friends of Lewes Newsletters and Annual Reports

 

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Representations made on planning applications following the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 6 June 2023:

SDNP/23/00925/FUL: Rowans Court, Prince Edwards Road: Erection of additional storey to create 4 self contained flats.
The Friends of Lewes have noted the various objections to this proposal and would recommend that the footprint of the proposed flats be reduced and the new structure set back from the Offham Road frontage in order to reduce its adverse visual impact. In this context the Society appreciates      that the size of each of the proposed flats may have to be reduced from 2 bedroom to 1 bedroom units.

SDNP/23/01419/ADV: 35 Lansdown Place: Retrospective installation of digital signage to automatically switch on at 8am and off at 8pm.
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal for the retention of a television monitor in the shopfront of a building within the Conservation Area, as it would set a precedent for similar installations within the Conservation Area. Furthermore, the Society would recommend that there is a need to review the relevant planning policy for shopfronts within the Conservation Area in order to address this concern.

SDNP/23/01706/ADV: Southover House, Southover Road: Installation of 3 adverts, consisting of bespoke Charleston Sign fixed onto the masonry of the central first and second floor windows, and two fabric banners located on either side.
The Friends of Lewes object to the installation of this large sign on the front of Southover House, as the Society considers it to be both clumsy and illegible and totally inappropriate within the Conservation Area, particularly as it can only be viewed at a close proximity and not from a more distant vantage point.  The Society would like to suggest that more discrete signage within the ground floor glazed areas on either side of the entrance would be more appropriate.

SDNP/23/01943/HOUS: 67, North Way: S73 retrospective application for erection of front porch, hip to gable roof extension with rear dormer and side gable, and addition of hard standing to the front.
The Friends of Lewes note that further amendments have been made to the original proposal but sustains its previous objection to the retention of the gable and recommend that it be removed and the original hip roof reinstated. Indeed, the removal of the original hip and erection of the gable end and the resulting impact on the character and appearance of this semi-detached house and within the wider context was a significant reason for the Planning Inspector to dismiss the appeal of SDNP/21/02960/HOUS on the 09^th December 2022. In the opinion of the Society, the retention of the gable would set a precedent within the locality, which should not be encouraged. The Society also considers that the drainage arrangements on the extensive hardstanding to the front of the house to be totally inadequate on such a steeply sloping site and are very likely to contribute to surface water flooding in the locality. In addition, the Society are disappointed to see the minimal ecosystems provision proposed to offset the environmental impact.

SDNP/23/01963/HOUS: 5 St Nicholas Lane: Replacement front and rear windows to match existing fenestration.
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal as the materials in the replacement windows has not been confirmed. The Society notes that the ‘Design and Access Statement’ refers to an earlier application SDNP/20/04128/HOUS for the “replacement of 4 single glazed timber framed windows with double glazed timber windows”, which was approved. However, the “Detail Drawing” included in this application illustrates what appears to be an UVPC window, which would not be acceptable within the Conservation Area.

SDNP/23/02048/FUL: County Stables, the Motor Road Old Racecourse: Change of use of existing County Stables building from Sui Generis (commercial equestrian purposes) to a mixture of F1(e) exhibition space, E(b) ancillary café and C1 bunkhouse.
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposed change of use as the Society is concerned that it will have an adverse impact on the tranquillity of the setting of the Old Racecourse. 

SDNP/23/02056/HOUS: 18 Fitzjohns Road: Erection of single storey front and rear extensions, garage conversion and roof conversion.
The Friends of Lewes sustain their objection to the large box dormer to the rear of the property as it does not accord with the Current Design Guidance on dormers. The Society also objects to the removal of the existing hip roof and the introduction of a gable end, as this property is semi-detached and the introduction of a gable end would set a precedent locally, which has a large number of hipped roofs.

SDNP/23/ 02118/LIS: War Memorial, High Street: To cleaning of the memorial and restore the eroded lettering on the plaques. Remove verdi gris using a tensid restoration poultice. Conduct Doff / Torik clean to all stone elevations removing organic and friable deposits. Remove carbon deposits from bronze elements using Doff cleaning and soft brushes, ensuring the patina is maintained. Restore the 2 commemorative plaques, recutting and repainting the lettering as required.
The Friends of Lewes fully support this important restoration of this prominent townscape feature at the top of School Hill.

SDNP/23/02210/ADV: 205 High Street: Installation of two new lights and low backlight on the fascia sign on shop front.
The Friends of Lewes object to the proposed backlighting and would strongly recommend that there is significant scope for improvement of this particular shopfront, including the use of more appropriate materials in the Conservation Area. 

SDNP/23/02226/HOUS: 34 Cranedown: Erection of Loft conversion with rear dormer and rooflights to front roof slope, replacement roof and alterations to former garage building.
The Friends of Lewes object to erection of the large dormer on the rear elevation as it does not accord with the current design guidance on dormers as it both too high and out of proportion with the design features of the existing building.

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

SDNP/23/00902/HOUS & 00903/LIS: 13 East Street	Enlargement of first floor bathroom and replacement of kitchen window to french doors.
SDNP/23/01286/FUL: 26 Malling Street	Replacement of windows and doors with timber double glazed, with main entrance window and automatic door replaced in aluminium.
SDNP/01360/HOUS: 134 Western Road	Demolition of rear infill extension and erection of single-storey infill extension to rear.
SDNP/23/01528/HOUS: 3 Christie Road	Erection of two storey side extension and single storey rear extension.
SDNP/23/01628/FUL: Caburn Court, Station Street	Replacement of the existing timber framed main entrance doors with new automated aluminium framed double glazed doors.
SDNP/23/01760/FUL: Former Bus Station, Eastgate Street	Retrospective erection of temporary site hoardings and gates on Eastgate Street Frontage.
SDNP/23/01788/FUL:  Priory School, Mountfield Road	Erection of boundary fence.
SDNP/23/01830/HOUS: 27 Priory Street	Front light well to basement cover to be replaced with sealed unit.
SDNP/23/01950/LIS: 140 High Street	Proposed internal glazed security door.
SDNP/23/02007/HOUS: 18 Highdown Road	Erection of single storey rear extension.
SDNP/23/02119/HOUS: 11 Leicester Road	Addition of conservation rooflight to front and extension of existing lightwell to front at lower ground floor level.
SDNP/23/02179/HOUS & 02180/LIS: 17 South Street	Single storey rear extension, new garden room and redecoration of street-facing facade.
SDNP/23/02141/HOUS & 01242/LIS: 2 St Pancras Road	Re-roofing of front roofslope in tiles to match existing.
SDNP/23/02154/LIS: Ground Floor Flat, 10-11 Priory Crescent	Infilling of internal doorway.

 

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The Friends of Lewes is looking for a new Treasurer to assist the Charity in contributing to the preservation and enhancement of our special town.

You will oversee the financial affairs of the organisation, ensure proper record keeping and financial procedures, monitor and report on the financial health of the organisation, and oversee the production of necessary financial reports/returns, accounts and audits.

We estimate that the role will involve under an hour a week.

Further details are at Reach Volunteering:

 

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