A representative of the Friends of Lewes attended the SDNPA Planning committee meeting on the 16th July 2026 and read the following statement.
SDNPA Planning Committee Agenda item 12. Final.
The Friends of Lewes requests an update on the enforcement situation in respect of two prominent listed buildings in the Lewes conservation area.
The first, Shelleys Hotel, a grade II* elegant listed building, dates from 16th century, with 18th century decoration, 17th century panelling and 16th century wall-paintings, closed at the start of the Covid pandemic and has remained empty and unmaintained since. It has now been put on the SAVE ‘buildings at risk’ register.
The adjacent, 136 High Street, an early 19th century, red and brown brick gabled Grade II listed building, has been boarded up since before 2020.
The need for action on both these properties has been being raised with officers since April 2020.
We were told in December 2025 that a section 215 notice had been served in respect of Shelleys Hotel, as it appeared to the authority that the amenity of a part of the town was adversely affected by the condition of a building and land. We have been unable to obtain details of the notice, or the time for compliance, despite repeated requests.Because of the importance of the fabric of the hotel building, and the condition of 136 High Street, we expressed the hope that efforts would continue, through the warrant process, to gain legal access so that their condition could be assessed, and hopefully confirmation received that were watertight with all the historic features protected.
The condition of 136 High Street, the adjacent property, remains unacceptable with boarded up windows and doors. We sought a notice to address these matters. Recently, timber sheeting has been fixed to the top of the side gates to Shelleys Hotel, increasing their height to 3.5m, without the necessary planning permission or listed building consent. Both buildings continue to deteriorate to the detriment of the townscape in this part of the conservation area.
We can find no record on public access portals or the enforcement register of any action by the authority, although more than 6 months has elapsed since the 215 notice was apparently served.
Trees are undermining the foundations of the listed building. Urgent action is necessary. Without any answers to emails we are formally raising these concerns, as the situation undermines the role and effectiveness of the authority. The case featured on the front of Lewes News, the community newspaper distributed to every household in the town, because of the considerable public interest. The authority was asked to provide information but declined.
The continued apparent absence of action is considered entirely unacceptable, and is inconsistent with the very high level of scrutiny by officers of planning applications to alter, paint or repair listed buildings and non-listed buildings in the town.
Fitzroy House will be open every Friday during July and September (t.b.c) from 10:00 to 13:00.
Friends of Lewes volunteers will be on hand with the ever-popular tea-towels as well as books and cards produced by Friends of Lewes. Come and say hello and find out what we do and take the opportunity to see inside this unique and historic grade II Victorian building.
The Campaign focuses on the forecast that if nothing changes there could be a 5 Billion litre shortfall of water per day by 2055 and aims to effect a long term behavioural shift in the usage of water.
A new campaign to help us all save water
Let’s Save Water is a campaign to help everyone use less water by making small, everyday changes.
Why do we need to use less water?
England may seem wet, but many places do not have enough water. The climate is changing, meaning summers are drier and winters bring heavier rain. Both make it harder for rivers and reservoirs to refill.
England has clean, safe tap water. But we often use more water than we realise at home and at work. This means in many areas we are using water faster than nature can replace it.
Taking too much water from rivers, lakes and underground sources harms our environment and wildlife. It can make droughts last longer.
If nothing changes, by 2055 there may not be enough water to go around, and England could face a potential shortfall of 5 billion litres every day. That’s like 25 million people leaving the tap running for 20 minutes, every single day.
What can we do about it?
We need to act now, and everyone has a part to play.
The water industry is investing billions to upgrade the network – from fixing leaks to upgrading infrastructure and increasing supply.
But small changes from all of us at home and at work will make a big difference. Shorter showers, stopping drips in our toilets and taps and using water-saving appliances all add up.
How much water do you use daily?
Most of us don’t realise just how much water we use each day. In fact, the average person in England uses almost 140 litres a day. A lot of the time when we’re using water, it’s as part of daily routines that are so familiar, we don’t think about them.
But to avoid water shortages, we each need to save about 28 litres of water every day. And we need to save this water all year round, not just in the drier summer months or during droughts.
Everyday changes to help you save water:
• Cut your shower by two minutes and you will save 28 litres a day
• Swap a running tap for a washing up bowl, to save 10 litres per minute
• Fixing a leaky loo saves up to 5 full baths of water, 400 litres a day
• Swap regular mode for eco-mode on your dishwasher and washing machine to save 10 litres per wash
The 19th Lewes Societies Fair returns to Lewes Town Hall on Saturday 5 September 2026, offering residents and visitors the chance to discover the wide range of clubs, societies and community organisations that make Lewes such a vibrant and welcoming town.
Whether you are looking to take up a new hobby, meet new people, learn a skill, volunteer, or become more involved in local life, the fair provides an excellent opportunity to explore the many groups and activities available in the area.
Visitors will be able to meet representatives from a diverse range of local societies, clubs and community groups, as well as visit an exhibition about the Battle of Lewes. Refreshments will be available throughout the morning.
Following the very successful Friends of Lewes 25th Floods Anniversary Exhibition, we received a considerable amount of feedback that Lewes residents didn’t want any more homes to be built in the floodplain. In response we have developed a policy position on development in the floodplain, which we have sent to the South Downs National park in response to their latest version of the SDNP Local Plan.
Minutes of a meeting held on Wednesday 03rd June 2026, at 8.00 pm at the Chapter House, Southover Church.
Present: Roger Maskew, (in the Chair), Luke Bray, Will Dorman, John Gower, Charles Meloy, Julian Till, Andrew Winter and Carolyn Beckingham.
(1) Apologies for Absence:-
An apology for absence was received from Alex Durn.
(2) Minutes of Previous Meeting:-
The minutes of the meeting held on 06th May were approved.
(4) Executive Committee:-
The scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee planned for Wednesday 27th June, was brought forward to Wednesday 20th June at the Climate Hub, due to the Mayor Making Reception on the 27th June.
Key items discussed:-
(a) National Park Local Plan Update: Discussion regarding the publication of a recent press article stating that 685 homes are to be built in Lewes, despite the lack of progress with the major sites still undeveloped, there are major concerns regarding building homes on the flood plain.
(b) It was agreed that following consideration by the Planning Committee of John’s revised Policy for “Development in the Floodplain”, that it would be ratified by the Executive Committee by email, in order to meet the National Park’s consultation deadline of the 23rd June.
(5) Urban Design Group Conference:-
The Committee was reminded that The Urban Design Group Conference in Lewes will be on Friday the 05th June. Roger will be part of the opening presentation in the morning session to be held at the Depot. Two walking tours of Lewes are planned for the afternoon, and both Will and Peter Earl have agreed to be guides.
(6) John Gower’s Presentation:-
The proposed policy on development in the floodplain was discussed, with broad strong agreement for the need and general principles. John Gower will make a minor change to the order of points on page 7, after which it will be sent to Roger Maskew for a final check before being sent to members of the Executive Committee for approval, before 23rd June, which is the deadline for submission of comments on the latest draft of the SDNP Local Plan review. We will include a copy of the policy in our response to the SDNP Local Plan.
7) Planning Decisions from 01/05/2026 to 01/06/2026:-
The following SDNPA decisions are available online:
SDNP/26/00124/FUL: 1 Albion Street. Replacement of 8no. windows to front and side elevations. Refused.
SDNP/26/00437/HOUS: 15 Mount Harry Road. Erection of wooden fencing around the side and front gardens including 2no gates. Refused.
SDNP/25/04982/HOUS: 18 The Meadows. Erection of two storey side extension and creation of 1 no. off-street parking space. Approved.
SDNP/26/01190/HOUS: 9 Cleve Terrace. Loft conversion with rooflight to front. Approved.
SDNP/26/00809/FUL: 20-21 High Street. Partial change of use of ground floor from Class E to form 2no. residential units. Approved.
(8) New Planning Applications from 01/05/2026 to 27/05/2026:-
SDNP/26/01729/PIP: Fuller’ Passage: Erection of up to 3 dwellings.
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal, as the Society considers it to be an inappropriate form of development, which would result in the overdevelopment of this small town centre site.
In addition, the Society has the following specific concerns:-
(1) It is understood that there is both a land ownership and access issue in relation to Unit 1, both of which would have to be resolved legally, prior to any proposed development being approved.
(2) The juxtaposition of Unit 2 to the existing Vaults development is considered to be unacceptable.
(3) It would appear that the applicant has no control of the overall use of the site, as the use of a number of existing car parking spaces would be lost, which is also considered to be unacceptable.
SDNF/26/02010/LDP: 46 Fitzjohns Road: Conversion of existing attached garage into habitable accommodation to include replacement of existing flat roof with pitched roof:
The Friends of Lewes have no objection in principle to this proposal, but would like to suggest:-
(1) That the proposed side extension is set back slightly from the frontage of the existing house in order to accommodate the change of materials.
(2) That there is no hard standing at the front of the building, which could possibly exacerbate rain water run-off issues.
SDNF/25/01671/FUL: Eastgate Wharf: Demolition of existing buildings and construction of mixed-use development comprising 60 dwellings (Class C3), and 372 sqm ground floor commercial space (Class E), with associated flood defences, landscaping, parking, access alterations, and public realm. (Amended scheme).
The Friends of Lewes object to this proposal for the following reasons:-
(1) The proposed flood defences for this scheme are considered to be unacceptable, as the necessary works to protect the development from flooding would not be totally within the curtilage of the red line, denoting the extent of the proposed scheme.
(2) The area of land immediately fronting the River Ouse, close to Phoenix Causeway, is within the ownership of East Sussex County Council, as Highway Authority. But more significantly, the proposed flood defences, at the new required height, would not extend far enough south to connect with Cliffe Bridge.
(3) In this context, the Society appreciates that this part of the existing flood wall is within another ownership, and is not only in need of repair, but would also have to be increased in height to match the new flood walls, in order to provide sufficient flood protection and to ensure that any future flood water would be prevented from spilling into the proposed development site.
(4) The Society would therefore strongly recommend that this project should not be supported until a commitment to extending the proposed flood defences at the new required height, southwards to connect with Cliffe Bridge, has been agreed with the land owner.
The Committee examined the following applications and had no observations to make:
SDNP/26/01776/PA14A:
14 Barons Walk. Install 11 solar PV panels on flat roof.
SDNP/26/01806/ADV:
The Friars, High Street. Installation of a non-illuminated timber fascia sign with individual letters and a non-illuminated timber blade sign.
SDNP/26/01812/LIS & 01813/FUL
4-6 The Bridge Wharf Brewery, Cliffe High Street. Erection of timber side entrance porch canopy and installation of non-illuminated advertising sign to ground floor side elevation
SDNP/26/01816/HOUS:
21 New Road. Loft conversion and construction of 1no. rear facing dormer and 2no. front facing fooflights.
SDNP/26/01886/PA14OA:
Lewes Golf Club, Chapel Hill. Installation of a solar canopy for renewable energy generation.
SDNP/26/01922/NMA:
Old Malling Farm, Old Malling Way. Non Material Amendment to Condition 3 (Materials) of SDNP/23/04659/REM.
SDNP/26/01942/HOUS & 01943/LIS:
8-9 Chapel Hill. Alterations & refurbishment of existing workshop (resubmission of previous refusal ref: SDNP/25/03602/HOUS).
SDNP/26/01951/NMA:
Knowlands, St Martin’s Lane. Non-material amendments to planning approval SDNP/24/02594/HOUS including timber courtyard doors; removal of chimney stack to east gable; conservation rooflight over entrance to south elevation; 2no. metal chimney flues to north and south pitched roofs; alterations to ground and first floor balcony balustrades.
(9) Flood Report for March 2026: By John Gower.
John Gower has attended 2 online flood events this month. The first supported a PhD Student researching how to set up and maintain successful community flood action groups. 9 representatives of flooded communities took part and a report will be produced on the importance of various factors, such as experience of the group chair, support from local authorities/ water companies/ Environment Agency and communication methods. It was very interesting and heartening to be part of such important research.
The second event was a webinar on flood insurance, organised by the National Flood Forum. It was reported that more and more at-risk properties are being referred to the specialist Flood Re scheme, where the cost of insuring properties in the flood plain has increased by 43% over the last 2 years. It also emerged that insurance companies are compiling their own data bases of flood risk information, and that they do not always use the published data on gov.uk as the basis for deciding risk and pricing premiums.
The recent heatwave set record temperatures for May. The Guardian reported that with Climate Change hotter heatwaves and temperature extremes are expected to become the norm. Although we have seen no flooding from this heatwave, the principles of hotter air holding more moisture leading to more intense rainfalls is very worrying for the future and flood risks.
Research by Avia reports that one in nine new homes are being built in areas at risk of flooding today. It is predicted that 30% of homes built in 2024 will at risk of flooding by 2050, a very worrying thought indeed. This 4 minute video explains the situation and is well worth watching (apologies but there are a couple of adverts included).
(7) Any other business: None.
(8) Date of next meeting: – Wednesday 01st July 2026 at 8.00pm at the Chapter House.
The Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes have launched a “Special Trees” Project to celebrate the wonderful trees in our Arboretum Town.
It is a first step towards developing a Tree Charter for Lewes that acknowledges the Rights of Trees.
We are inviting people of all ages to send us a photograph of a tree that they think is special. It could be special to you because of its colour, shape, because it welcomes you home every day, or for any other reason!
The tree must be in a public space in the town of Lewes – so that we may invite other people to visit it.
We plan to display the photographs at Lewes Climate Hub, 32 High Street, during Heritage Open Days, 12th-13th September 2026, and publish them on our website and social media.
The photograph shows the Ginkgo biloba in Abinger Place – a favourite tree of Brian Courage, Town Ranger
He told us: “The more I look, the more favourite trees I start to see which is, I suppose, the reason for acknowledging they are all special and need to have their rights acknowledged. The first one that came to mind is the Ginkgo biloba on Abinger Place. The leaves are such a lovely shape and particularly beautiful in the autumn. It’s one of many trees in the town that helps to frame its location and would change the landscape in the area if it weren’t there. The plaque in front of it states that it is the site of the Manor pound, across the road from the Town stocks so it is clearly a historical site despite the tree being a relative newcomer. The Ginkgo biloba can live for 1000 years plus, and I wonder what it might witness in its future.”
In 2025 a grant of £2,000 was given by Friends of Lewes to the St.Anne’s Fund Raising Committee to help fund the restoration of the Grade II flint wall on the north side of St.Anne’s churchyard, which separates the churchyard from Western Road, Lewes.
The work was urgently required as flints were falling from the wall into Western Road which could have endangered passing traffic. It was important to protect access to Lewes and safeguard an important part of the heritage of the historic County Town.
FoL are pleased to report that the restoration is now complete.
