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Boardwalk :: Forum List The Phoenix Quarter General Discussion

<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 Next > End >> Andy   Re:Lewes Cinema - 2007/04/20 06:27 Had a look on Phoenix Action site - haven't a clue what you're talking about - can't see anything about land trusts. What's it mean?   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. charles style   Re:Lewes Cinema - 2007/04/20 09:52 MSW, there are several inaccuracies in your statement, firstly there is no evidence that the proposed flood defences in the Phoenix Quarter cause any increased flood risk in the town, this has been assessed by both WS Atkins , our engineers and the Environment Agency, so the assertion that it will cause a problem for the Landport Estate is, as far as I can see, based on no scientific data and should not be made by you as if it were, unless perhaps you would like to produce some scientific data to back it up. Secondly as far as providing affordable housing for young people and other sections of the community, we are working closely with the Housing Department and the Housing Associations to ensure that the quantity and the mix of affordable housing in this development actually addressses the housing needs of the area. I am acutely aware that there is a problem in Lewes, as in most other towns in the South East for young people to get on the housing ladder and we will be using the data in the housing needs survey produced by Lewes District Council and the Housing Economics survey we have produced to form the basis of establishing methods to provide for that need. The local plan says that 25% affordable housing is the target, subject to viability. The emerging local development framework says that a new target of 40% affordable housing should be considered in future, though this is still at the consultation stage and is not yet policy. We do not feel that 40 % affordable housing is viable in the case of the Phoenix Quarter, due to exceptional infrastructure costs, however we are currently looking at this with the housing associations and the Council to see if there are any new Homebuy products which have been launched by the government which could be used to help young people to buy in Lewes and to get us closer to this new target, which again will be based upon viability. I do not think that a Community Land Trust is the panacea you are looking for, it is a little more complicated than that as I am sure you will find out when you consider the actual commercial realities of trying to make one work in the context of regenerating this very difficult site. To try to get a young persons hopes up that this will solve the problem is probably inadvisable at this stage. The Phoenix Quarter development has the potential to provide for all sorts of needs and there is a fine balance needed to get it right. The Council has asked a cross section of local stakeholder groups to help it work on a Vision Statement for the area. We hope that the final result will be to provide a new area which allows a thriving new addition to the town which helps it to be an even better place than it already is. My view is that progress is possible and that regeneration of this area will add lots of new jobs, homes, both affordable and open market and places to visit.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. Andy   Re:Lewes Cinema - 2007/04/20 12:07 Sounds good to me, if you really mean what you say.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. Jane Bennett   Re:Lewes Cinema - 2007/04/20 12:22 Mr Style, Would you mind using paragraphs. This very dense text is extremely difficult to read. Thank you   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. charlesstyle   Re:Lewes Cinema - 2007/04/20 14:10 Sorry about the lack of paragraphs, I hope it was still clear as to the meaning contained in the post. I will try harder next time to use paragraphs.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. sashka   Re:Lewes Cinema - 2007/04/21 11:20 I can understand why Mark is focussed on the various enducements Angel property are throwing at us to try and distract us from the more dubious aspects of what is going on. This is an outine planning application. Mr Style has a history of failing to stick to promises made in outline planning applications. I am not so old either, but I cannot forget about overdevelopment on a flood plain because someone is talking about a cinema and some shops. These are just trivialities when looking at the major planning issues that could ruin this small historic market town for ever. If you are young and forward thinking you will realise that cinemas and high st shopping are not necesarily likely to be with us in their current form anyway, with the massive rise in on-line shopping, and films through broadband. This massive estate overdevelopment will be. We do however have to seriously consider rising risk of flooding, gridlock, pollution, and unsustainability of overdevelopment. This is not negative it is a realistic defence against a developer who has an extremely poor track record. Just remember that of metropolitain types who bought into the forward looking Jam factory, the vast majority are supporting action against Angel. This unsatisfied group of people are urban trendies, just the sort of people you would expect to be impressed by Angel and their promises, but even they are definitely not happy with Angel, and when you look at what Angel have been up to, you can hardly be surprised.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum.

Boardwalk :: Forum List The Phoenix Quarter General Discussion

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