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

SDNP/22/05028/HOUS: 4 St Nicholas Lane: Section 73a retrospective application for single storey rear extension.
The Friends of Lewes would like to comment that the use of UVPC on the rear elevations is to be regretted in the Conservation Area. Fortunately, the application of this UVPC is not visible on the St Nicholas Lane street frontage.

SDNP/23/00171/HOUS:  7 Prince Edwards Road: Replacement of windows to front elevation with double-glazed timber sash windows.
The Friends of Lewes object to the use of integral glazing bars between the panes of glass within the Conservation Area.

SDNP/23/00846/HOUS: 24 Fitzjohns Road: Erection of raised decking to the rear.
The Friends of Lewes object to the erection of this dominant structure on steeply sloping ground to the rear of the property, which would overlook adjacent neighbours. The Society considers that an alternative approach of ‘cut’ and ‘fill’ would provide a more appropriate solution.

SDNP/23/00868/HOUS: 4B Lansdown Place: Replacement of front door, replacement of front fanlight with double glaze fanlight, replacement of 2 windows to rear.
The Friends of Lewes object to the removal of the existing fanlight over the front door, as it is a traditional design that makes a positive contribution to the street scene within the Conservation Area.

SDNP/23/00876/CND: Caburn Cuilfail: Variation of Condition 2 (Plans) relating to planning approval SDNP/22/01291/HOUS to include turning the roof 90 degrees.
The Friends of Lewes would like to comment that the Society prefers the original orientation of the roof to the suggested variation.

SDNP/23/01014/LIS: 8 Mount Pleasant: Remove failed front elevation brickwork and reinstate to match the original construction plus structural repairs.
The Friends of Lewes fully support this application and commend the detail of the supporting documents and welcome the repair of this listed building within the Conservation Area.

SDNP/23/01111/HOUS: 26 Priory Street: Erection of single storey rear extension and associated demolition of existing rear extension.
The Friends of Lewes consider this proposal to be an imaginative improvement to a compact house within the Conservation Area. However, although reference has been made in the Design and Access Statement to the “material appearance” and the possible palette of materials that could be used, it would be useful to have confirmation of the specific materials that are now proposed.   

SDNP/23/00499/HOUS: 18 Fitzjohns Road: Erection of single storey side extension and single storey rear extension, hip to gable roof conversion with rear dormer.
The Friends of Lewes object 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/23/01229/HOUS: 49 Cluny Street: Replacement of ground and first floor timber windows to front with UVPC windows.
The Friends of Lewes consider that there is inadequate information to assess the impact of replacing the existing timber windows with UVPC windows. In the Conservation Area it would be essential to ensure that the proposed UVPC windows have as slender a frame as possible in order to try to match the existing timber windows. The submitted elevations of the existing and proposed frontages do not provide sufficient detail for this assessment to be made.

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

SDNP/23/00453/HOUS: 46 Highdown Road	Erection of single-storey side/front extension.
SDNP/23/00864/HOUS:  33 Cross Way	Erection of two-storey side extension.
SDNP/23/00910/HOUS:  1 Chandlers Wharf	First-floor single-storey side extension.
SDNP/23/00291/CND:  Land at Southdowns Road	Variation of Condition 1 (Plans) relating to planning approval SDNP/15/01303/FUL for addition of terraces to plots 12PH and 10WH.
SDNP/23/00976/PA14J: 1 Brooklands Yard, Southover High Street	Install solar panels on single-storey existing pitched roof.
SDNP/23/00977: 3 Valley Road	Erection of single-storey side extension and addition of dropped kerb.
SDNP/19/01036/CND: 8 Grange Road	Variation of Condition 1 (Plans) related to Planning Approval SDNP/19/02989/HOUS to include insertion of New Conservation style rooflight to front roof slope.
SDNP/23/01048/HOUS: 18 Keere Street	Addition of first-floor window to rear, first-floor window to side, and rooflight to first floor.
SDNP/23/01059/HOUS: 9 Houndean Rise	Demolition of rear extension, erection of single storey rear extension, alterations to fenestration to front and side.
SDNP/23/01161/LDP: 22 Mill Road	Single storey rear extension and fenestration changes including rooflights.
SDNP/23/01250/HOUS: 17 Lancaster Street	Conversion of 17 and 19 into a single property, demolition of greenhouse, and alterations to east and north fenestration.
SDNP/23/01327/HOUS: 22 Mill Road	Single storey rear extension, addition of gable extension to front, and increase of main roof pitch from 40 degrees to 48 degrees.

 

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The Friends of Lewes is delighted to announce that the world-wide ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Programme has awarded the town of Lewes ‘Level 1 Arboretum status’.

ArbNet’s international programme aims to advance the planting, study, and conservation of trees by  providing standards and guidelines for the establishment and development of arboretums.

Almost all accredited arboretums are individual gardens and sites. Unusually, our Lewes Urban Arboretum status extends across the whole of the town of Lewes, one of only two UK towns with this rating alongside Sidmouth. The criteria which contributed to our award included our Lewes Urban Arboretum Project’s plans and organisation, its volunteer support, and the number of different species of trees planted: 47 different species across Lewes: Lewes Urban Arboretum: tree planting to date – Google My Maps

The current Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes, which manages the Lewes Urban Arboretum Project, was set up in 2012 to realise the vision of the late Paul Millmore – of Lewes as a “town in the trees”. This award recognises the progress we’ve made in enriching our town’s treescape.

This achievement, of course, builds on the tree planting and conservation work by previous community groups, local councils, and residents. We hope that it will motivate others in our community to work with us to plant more trees and mitigate the threats to our tree population. These threats include climate change, pests and diseases, the unnecessary felling of healthy trees, and the pressures of increased housing and infrastructure. We all need to plan and plant for the future.

Welcome to our town in the trees!

Lewes from the South

 

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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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A live talk at King’s Church

Philip Taylor: The History of Gorringe’s Auction Galleries

Philip Taylor takes a look over almost 100 years of Gorringe’s Auction Galleries’ history, from a local Sussex saleroom, to an internationally known business at the forefront of the online auction experience.

As with a number of successful provincial auction rooms, Gorringe’s largely owes its origins to one famous sale; theirs being the contents of Lewes House, conducted by Rowland Gorringe in 1929. The sale aroused international interest, resulting in Rowland becoming ‘’the man’’ to consult for the sale of Art and Antiques in Sussex.

Philip Taylor, a partner since 1981, will discuss and trace the firm’s journey through almost 100 years, from periodic ‘’on the premises’’ house sales, to the eventual opening of Gorringe’s Galleries, in North Street, Lewes, in 1945.

Philip will cover outside sales of the contents of country house, private schools, as well as looking at a host of remarkable individual sale results, including £24,000 for a lock of John Lennon’s hair and the £82,000 for Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London.

We will hear how sales ledger accounting has progressed to state-of-the-art digital online sales, which now expose every sale to over 3,000,000 potential buyers.

Gorringes Auction Galleries, Lewes

Venue: The King’s Church building on Brooks Road, Lewes, BN7 2BY. (Between Tesco car park and Homebase). Please don’t park in Homebase’s car park: they take deliveries in the evenings.

Entry: Entry is FREE for LHG members, and £4 for non-members. Due to limited seating, admission will be by advance ticketing only – no payments on the door. Please book in advance at https://ticketsource.co.uk/lhg. Tickets available until 5:30pm of the day of the talk. We will have lists of ticket-holders at the door and will check you in.

Covid precautions: Limited seating to allow for some spacing; no refreshments.

See the Talks page for a list of  forthcoming monthly events organised by the Lewes History Group.

 

In February 2023, Human Nature submitted a hybrid planning application for the redevelopment of the North Street Industrial Estate and Springman House, North Street, Lewes for a residential-led, mixed use development [SDNP/23/00526/OUT]

This ‘hybrid’ application contains outline elements, such as the use-mix and parameter plans (determining the size, location and uses of the buildings on the site), and detailed elements including the demolition of some existing buildings, the first stages of a new flood defence along the river, a temporary construction access ramp from Phoenix Causeway to serve a temporary construction and manufacturing yard on the site, as well as the development of 44 homes in Parcel 1.

The Friends of Lewes submitted its response to this application on 17 May 2023, which combines four areas of support, six areas of objection and two specific requests regarding the development.

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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Find out about:

• Growing trees and hedges in your garden
• Why Lewes needs more trees
• Volunteering opportunities
• Trees and Climate Change: a talk by Peter Thurman at 2pm

 

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The Friends of Lewes Annual Report for 2022 is now available as a PDF file [1.3 mb]

Previous Newsletters and Annual Reports

 

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Human Nature has updated its web page Statement on the removal of some trees along the Phoenix Causeway.

They have also announced that the public consultation for the Phoenix planning application has been extended until 26 May 2023, given the size and complexity of the application, after requests from the Friends of Lewes and other local groups.

They encourage comments to be added to the application page – or emailed to planning@southdowns.gov.uk quoting the application reference number SDNP/23/00526/OUT.

There is a paper copy of the planning application and Environmental Statement available at Lewes Town Hall for the public to inspect.

Image from Human Nature’s email, 27 April 2023

 

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A Coffee Time Zoom talk

Peter Thurman: Designing and Working with Trees
(Talk re-scheduled from 14 March 2023)

Peter’s talk will illustrate the beauty and tenacity of trees, explain their benefits and threats, and show examples of how they can be used in the landscape.

Peter Thurman is a member of The Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes, (Lewes Urban Arboretum Project). A Kew-trained landscape and garden designer and a tree, environmental and horticultural consultant with over 30 years’ experience, he is also a published author, writer and teacher.

He is a fellow of the Arboricultural Association and the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, and has chartered status in trees, forestry, horticulture and the environment.

UK-based (living in North Chailey), Peter often works abroad with commissions as far afield as Italy, Japan, Dubai, Hong Kong, Finland, Germany, France and Belgium. He teaches and is an examiner at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the London College of Garden Design. He writes regularly for various professional journals and magazines and is in demand as a speaker at conferences, seminars and workshops.

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.

We have sent members an email (on 1.5.23) with a link to this Zoom talk.

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

 

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Two more plaques have been added to the many around Lewes which tell the hidden history of the town.

Funded by the Town Council and based on research by the Friends of Lewes, these plaques point to centuries long stories of the varied uses of two buildings in the middle of town – the recently converted Crown Hotel by the war memorial, and No. 1 Keere Street.

The Crown was a coaching Inn known as the Black Lion from 1633, then The Crown Inn from about 1790. It was converted to residential use in 2021.

1 Keere Street was built around 1430, and over the centuries it has housed a butcher, a bucket maker, and from 1780 until 1946, a bakery.

The Lewes Town Council and the Friends of Lewes have installed more than 70 plaques across the town to highlight the histories of buildings that may be unknown to visitors or residents. See the full list at our Historical Plaques web page.

The Crown hotel plaque – click to enlarge

1 Keere Street plaque – click to enlarge

 

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