New Wivelsfield Green homes could be built on former builder's yard

On Wednesday (September 7), Lewes District Council’s planning committee is set to consider an application to build six houses in place of the former Travis Perkins depot in Green Road, Wivelsfield Green.

The scheme would see the removal of existing commercial buildings from the site, with three pairs of semi-detached houses to be built in their place.

While recommended for approval by planning officers, the scheme has seen objections raised by a number of local residents. Those objectors have raised concerns around the loss of parking from the site, the impact on traffic and loss of employment land.

These objections are disputed by planning officers, who assessed the commercial buildings as ‘poor quality’. As part of this assessment it was noted that the site has been on the market since August 2020 without a new operator coming forward.

Objections have also been raised by Wivelsfield Parish Council, although its latest comments came in response to an earlier version of the proposal. That earlier version had been seeking permission for seven houses.

However, the parish council’s objections are likely to remain in place, as it had argued the site would be too densely developed. It had recommended that the plans be amended to provide three larger houses, rather than the six semi-detached properties.

For further information on the proposals use the application reference LW/21/0988 on the Lewes District Council online planning portal website.