Phoenix Industrial Estate redevelopment latest: planning committee votes to defer decision, says South Downs National Park Authority

The South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) said that committee members voted to defer the decision on the Phoenix Industrial Estate plan because more information was needed from the applicant ‘in order for the Planning Committee to make an informed decision’.

The SDNPA called the site ‘hugely important and strategic’ and said there were further considerations about design and other aspects.

A SDNPA spokesperson said: “The decision to defer is highly unusual, but we see the real potential of the scheme and want to give the applicant the opportunity to meet important technical requirements and provide some certainty to the community of what will actually be delivered.

“The principle of the proposed scheme – a residential-led mixed use scheme, creating a new neighbourhood for Lewes, the overall ambitions of the applicant, and the general approach they are taking to create a ‘sustainable development’ – is really welcome. However, it is in the execution of, and the detailed matters associated with, the actual scale and form of the proposed development that means we are currently unable to support the application. The Planning Committee has deferred the decision in the hope that much-needed outstanding information can be provided and genuine concerns can be addressed.”

The SDNPA said it was decided that the application by Human Nature should come back to the Planning Committee in four months for another decision.

There have been plans to redevelop the Lewes North Street Quarter since 2015. The site’s joint-owners Santon North Street Ltd and Lewes District Council submitted a ‘hybrid planning application’ to deliver 416 new homes with other proposals including 475 registered full-time jobs, a public square, cafés and riverside walkways. In April 2021, eco-developer Human Nature acquired part of the site and submitted an altered proposal for planning permission in 2022. After a public consultation, Human Nature submitted an updated proposal to the Park Authority in September 2023. The changes mainly focused on retaining more existing trees, addressing criticism of plans to cut down shrubbery.

The SDNPA spokesperson said: “People and communities are at the heart of the planning process and our role as Planning Authority in placemaking is always done with great responsibility, care and diligence. Our officers have worked hard and very openly with the applicant – and the report itself is very open – to try to ensure Lewes gets the high-quality, sustainable, climate-friendly scheme it deserves. This is a complex and emotive planning application that has attracted a huge response from the local community, with many comments and speeches at committee, both for and against the proposals.”

The SDNPA said it was pleased issues around sustainable construction and affordable housing had been addressed. But they said there were still ‘substantial issues’ that need to be looked at. They said these are: insufficient information around highway, parking, sustainable and public access; failure to address concerns around design, bulk and scale, and flood risk; and inadequate information around air quality impacts.

The SDNPA said: “We would like to positively engage with the applicant in order to address these issues for the benefit of Lewes and its communities.”