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Boardwalk :: Forum List The Phoenix Quarter Cultural

Miranda Kemp   21st century architecture - 2006/01/10 01:58 I saw the plans for the Phoenix development and am certainly in favour of regenerating that area of town.Obviously bad regeneration could harm Lewes in various ways,but also if we fail to develop the town and attract new people and activity-both cultural,civic and business,then the town will become as dead as a dodo within a couple of decades,which is what has happened in so many other market towns.One of the things that stands out about Lewes is how full of life it is-not just a museum town full of cutesy olde-wordliness. Every other generation of Lewesians have left us with some gorgeous examples of architecture from their time(apart from those responsible for the ESCCbuilding of course!) Can we make sure that we leave some great examples of 21st century architecture for the future inhabitants of the town? Lets act in a way that invests in a lively future for the town and its people,rather than just wanting to hold things back and keep it all the same as it ever was.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. Fifi   Re:21st century architecture - 2006/01/25 17:36 I completely agree that this could be wonderful for Lewes. One of the things I like most about the town is its liveliness and the fact that is not a living museum to the past. I love period architecture, but we need to embrace changes with an open mind, as long as we are certain they are not detrimental.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. msw   Re:21st century architecture - 2006/08/30 02:14 The issue surely is not about wanting to hold things back. Isn't it more about people who live here being actively involved in defining the townscape so that it reflects life here in its reality rather than what is being projected by one man and his architect, neither of whom have the capacity to ensure that their overall vision is realised anyway. The fact is that the plans will never be built as they stand, as the developer is clear in his intention to sell off a major part of the development if the outline planning permission is granted to a larger outfit such as Barratt. They will not have to stick to the overall vision and the developer and the architect cannot ensure that they do or honour any commitment to the town to make sure that the finished product is what they suggested it would be in their exhibition - not necessarily through any desire to mislead on their part but just because they will not be in the driving seat if they sell parcels on. That job will sit with our planners who will, if they grant the outline permission, then have an interest in maintaining egg free faces. Surely the whole point of leaving a legacy is that we leave something we can be proud of which is rooted in the essence of the town and which reflects some sense of this to future generations. In order to do this, the starting point should be a plan from the town which reflects need rather than a plan from the developer which inevitably reflects a profit margin, in this case according to the Angel Properties website, a margin of at least a 25% return on investment.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum.

Boardwalk :: Forum List The Phoenix Quarter Cultural

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