Events at the Lewes Climate Hub, Lewes House, 32 High Street, BN7 2LU

Throughout July, drop into Lewes Climate Hub to celebrate bees, bugs and butterflies in all their glory – including a special Garden Day on Saturday 22 July with activities in the beautiful gardens of Lewes House and School Hill Surgery, plus music and refreshments.

There will be activities for ALL the family:

• Drop into the Hub, Wednesday to Saturday, and learn all about bees, bugs and butterflies – and how to help them flourish,
• Draw or make a bee, bug or butterfly to add to our Mini-Beast Wall Montage in the Hub. Or knit a bumble bee to display in the Hub – download pattern here,
• Come for our special Garden Day on Saturday 22 July, with guided mini-safaris and pollinator counts in Lewes House and School Hill Surgery gardens – plus music and refreshments.

More details on this poster:

 

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A Live, in Person, Coffee Time talk at Eastgate Church Hall

Michael Richards: Conservation on the Farm

Michael Richards will talk about conservation on his farm near Laughton, an arable and beef enterprise where he is dedicated to improving both the soil and the infrastructure.

Beginning by explaining the classification of farmland in Great Britain, and how this impacts upon agriculture in the Lewes area, Michael will focus largely on organic soil enhancement and how this approach can help to solve current pollution problems, while at the same time reducing reliance on artificial fertilisers.

He will also show how modern cropping methods advance carbon sequestration and improve both soil structure and plant nutrient availability. Consideration will be given to the role played by hedgerow trees and woodland in carbon capture, and provision of timber required for farming and other purposes.

Michael will emphasize the advantage of keeping livestock as part of maintaining the ecological balance of the countryside, as well as providing food and other useful products.

Modern cultivation methods will be explained, and show how these play a part in reducing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Venue: Baptist Church Hall, Eastgate Street, Lewes, BN7 2LR

Entry: This talk is free to members of the Friends of Lewes, and £4 to non-members.

If you would like to become a Member of FoL, and attend our talks free of charge, please find details on our Membership page.

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

 

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The South Downs National Park Authority has made a preliminary response to Human Nature’s hybrid planning application for the Phoenix site.

This consists of a three page letter plus a further 31 pages of officers comments, published on 12 June 2023 on the SDNPA Planning Portal, and titled: Officer Correspondence: SDNPA COMMENTS ON APPLICATION JUNE 2023.

Link to the response in pdf

Or, open downloaded pdf

Image from Human Nature’s email, 27 April 2023

 

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This is a satellite event of Depot’s Climate Action! Festival and takes place over three weekends: on Saturday 17 June, Saturday 24 June, and Saturday 1 July 2023, with displays available to view Wednesday-Friday.

Join Lewes Climate Hub for these three weekends of thought-provoking talks, displays and interactive sessions asking: What do we want travel in and around Lewes to look like by the end of the decade?

Venue: Lewes Climate Hub, Lewes House, 32 High Street, Lewes BN7 2LX

Session topics will include:

• Saturday 17 June: What would get you out of your car?
• Saturday 24 June: Is there too much traffic in Lewes?
• Saturday 1 July: Lewes 2030: What should travel look like in our town?

Enlarge this poster for more details:

 

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A talk on Zoom

Trevor Beattie: The Role of the South Downs National Park Authority

Trevor Beattie became the first permanent Chief Executive of the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) in January 2012.

The South Downs National Park covers an area of over 1,600 km2 and is home to more than 117,000 people. The National Park Authority is responsible for conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area, promoting opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the Park.

Working in partnership with Local Authorities and others, the Authority fosters the economic and social well-being of the communities within the National Park. The SDNPA is also the planning authority for the National Park.

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 for this Zoom talk.

Our members will have received emails with this Zoom link on 27 May 2023.

If you would like to become a Member of FoL, and attend our talks free of charge, please find details on our Membership page.

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

 

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Here is a chance to climb the repaired spiral staircase up the church tower and see its much-loved 353-year old clock in action, striking twelve noon on the large bell dating from 1619.

The first-ever guided tours take place this summer, on the following Saturdays: 17 June, 1 and 22 July, 19 August, 2 and 30 September. Tours start at 11:30am and take about 45 minutes.

Book your slot now. Tickets £5 from Lewes Tourist Information Centre, in person or by phone (01273 483448) with credit or debit card.

Click image to enlarge

 

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Venue: Cliffe Hall, 28 Cliffe High Street, Lewes BN7 2AH

Modular housing company Top Hat is consulting on their new plans to deliver 226 new homes at Old Malling Farm.

On June 10^th 2021 the SDNPA Planning Committee approved the application for outline planning permission subject to extensive conditions including 50% affordable housing, a commitment to zero carbon construction, electric vehicle charging points, a route for pedestrians and cyclists at the S-E corner of the site down into the former railway cutting to give convenient alternative access to the town centre.

Developer Man GPM proposed in March 2023 that 226 ‘zero-carbon’ homes could be built off-site by 3D modular house builder TopHat, addressing both affordability and climate change.

Top Hat’s new plans are shown on their website alongside the initial proposed layout for the Old Malling Farm site.  You can also submit your comments online via this website, with comments welcome between 31^st May 2023 and 30 June 2023.

Image from Top Hat website. © Top Hat

 

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

The Lewes Conservation Area is under the spotlight as part of a public consultation being launched by the South Downs National Park Authority.

The Conservation Area, which covers most of the central part of the town, has been in existence for many years and predates the creation of the National Park in 2010. Conservation Areas have been identified as having high historic or architectural interest.

The National Park Authority’s consultation will be reviewing the Lewes Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (CAAMP) and the Article 4 Direction for Lewes Conservation Area. Article 4 Direction restricts the scope of permitted development rights on properties or land and offers additional protection to the townscape.

The SDNPA wants to ensure that the factors that contribute to Lewes’ special interest are correctly identified and accurate; that key events within Lewes’ historic development are correctly referenced and that that the assessment of the towns general character as a whole are accurate, as well as the individual distinctive character areas. The document also seeks to identify the key issues to change. In outline these are seen as building maintenance, shopfronts and advertising, open spaces, climate change, traffic and new development. They are keen to know if these are correct or whether there are others.

The public consultation will take place between 30 May and 11 July 2023 (extended to 12 noon on 8 August 2023) and includes an online survey.

Members of the Authority’s planning team will be available to answer any queries relating to the CAAMP and Article 4 Direction at two public drop-in sessions to be held at Lewes Library:

• 2pm-6pm on Thursday 15 June
• 10am-2pm on Saturday 17 June

Links:

SDNPA announcement of public consultation on the Lewes Conservation Area

Take part in the survey and download copies of the draft documents

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

 

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Depot’s Climate Action! Festival returns for 2023, putting their annual spotlight on global and local efforts to address our climate and ecological crisis.

Through a diverse programme of events, films, and talks, they will embark upon an exploration of our impact on the Earth, with a focus on our carbon footprint, tourism, and transport. They will consider the steps we can take to rebalance the needs of humans with those of the natural world, as we orientate ourselves towards a more sustainable future.

Depot is proud to present satellite events with Lewes Climate Hub to extend the festival programme for three weekends of thought-provoking talks, displays and interactive sessions asking: What do we want travel and traffic in and around Lewes to look like by the end of the decade?

Satellite event: The Climate Hub’s Are we there yet? Imagining travel in Lewes 2030

This takes place on Saturday 17 June, Saturday 24 June, and Saturday 1 July 2023 (with displays available to view Wednesday-Friday).

Venue: Lewes Climate Hub, Lewes House, 32 High Street, Lewes BN7 2LX

Session topics will include:

• Saturday 17 June: What would get you out of your car?
• Saturday 24 June: Is there too much traffic in Lewes?
• Saturday 1 July: Lewes 2030: What should travel look like in our town?

Click to enlarge poster

Explore the full programme of satellite events at the Lewes Climate Hub website.

 

Image © Depot, Lewes

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Representations made on planning applications following the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 2 May 2023:

SDNP/22/05982/HOUS: 6 Bradford Road: Like-for-like replacement of existing front ground floor windows with double glazed windows.
The Friends of Lewes object to this application as insufficient details of the proposed windows have been provided by the applicant in order to be able to assess whether they would be acceptable.

SDNP/23/01079/ADV: The Old Courthouse, Unit 2 Friars Walk: Section 73a retrospective application of internally illuminated signage on shopfront.
The Friends of Lewes object to the illuminated ‘ZORBA’ signage within the Conservation Area and suggests that the lighting be switched off permanently. The Society also notes that there is an internal light promoting ‘cocktails’, which it recommends should be removed.

SDNP/23/01134/HOUS: 28 Hereward Way: Erection of rear dormer, Erection of side extension, Erection of rear brise soleil, dropped kerb and hardstanding with EV charging point, and alterations to ground floor fenestration.
The Friends of Lewes object to the proposed large dormer to the rear which does not accord with the accepted design guide on roof extensions. The Society also objects to the proposed raised parking area to the front of the property in terms of both its visual impact and the need to ensure that the hard surface is fully capable of coping with surface water drainage into the garden of this property.

SDNP/23/01213/FUL: 68-69 High Street: Erection of roof extension to provide 2 residential units in association with related external works.
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal to provide 2 residential units at first floor level as it has not been possible to assess to likely visual impact of the proposed additional building structure within the immediate context. The Society is also concerned about the apparent lack of storage facilities for rubbish for 2 residential units. The Society is aware that a previous application for one residential unit, (SDNP/22/04690/FUL), has now been approved and would recommend that the construction of this option should implemented.

SDNP/23/01510/HOUS: 28, Middle Way: Demolition of garage and erection of side and rear two storey extension.
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal as the side extension would effectively fill the gap between this property and number 26 Middle Way next door, which would have a detrimental impact on the local street scene. 

SDNP/23/00651/ADV: Lewes House: Advertisements included plywood painted sign, 2no ‘A’ frame boards and a temporary banner attached to Lewes House to advertise community events.
The Friends of Lewes support this proposal in principle. However, the Society is concerned about both the location of the ‘A’ frames and the use of a plywood sign on a listed building. Of particular interest is to establish whether the location of the ‘A’ frames would comply with the LDC Design Note 11 that requires a minimum clear distance of 1200mm.

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

SDNP/23/01070/HOUS:  33 Spences Lane	Erection of single storey rear extension.
SDNP/23/01338/HOUS:  13 Hamsey Crescent	Conversion of garage to study with alterations to fenestration in front.
SDNP/23/01379/HOUS:  2 St James Street	Installation of solar panels and addition of conservation style rooflight to rear roof slope.
SDNP/23/01429/HOUS:  59 North Way	Erection of front porch, single storey side extension, and part-double-part-single-storey rear extension.
SDNP/2301450/HOUS:  50 Malling Street	Roof extension to existing rear extension, alterations to rear fenestration, addition of raised decking with glazed canopy to rear, and rendering to rear.
SDNP/23/01523/HOUS & 01524/LIS: 19 Malling Street	Demolition of extension, reconfiguring of doors and windows, installation of a new kitchen within layout of ground floor.
SDNP/23/01584/HOUS:  6 Prince Edwards Road	Erection of single storey rear extension and alterations to fenestration throughout.
SDNP/23/01597/HOUS:  4 Cranmer Close	Erection of two storey side extension, timber deck and internal alterations.
SDNP/23/01598/FUL: 29 Station Street	Installation of coffee roaster flue pipe
SDNP/23/01000/HOUS: 74 Western Road	Erection of single-storey rear extension.
SDNP/23/01634/HOUS: Ord, Kingston Road	Erection of detached garage, conversion of existing garage and carport to living-room with alterations to front fenestration, addition of cladding to all elevations, replacement of concrete roof tiles with slate, and addition of solar panels to front elevation.
SDNP/23/01772/LIS: Elmtree House, Southover High Street	Repair and refurbishment of existing plain clay roof tile including replacement of rotting membrane.
SDNP/23/01780/HOUS: 43 The Avenue	Insertion of conservation style rooflight to front roof slope.

 

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