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Re:Phoenix Action - 2006/04/26 16:39I agree, the towers are 'just the tip of the ice-berg' These blocks are much too big, and I am not looking forward to seeing the density figures. Does anyone know what the most dense area already built in Lewes is? I think someone asked before but the developers don't know.
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S. Oliver
Re:Phoenix Action. Free the Market Lane Two - 2006/04/26 17:15Dear All
I am advised that if a Planning Application Commitee report described a 4 storey block with an additional 4 storey section on top (as discussed) as 4 storeys, instead of the actual 8, that it would be biased, misleading and inaccurate.
I will not be commenting further on this issue.
Like RBB I am also interested to know where the most dense part of Lewes is and what the density is, either as an area or as a specific compact housing block, like Abergavenny Flats. If anyone has obtained this information from the Planning Department, could they post it?
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charles style
Re:Phoenix Action - 2006/04/26 17:39Mr Oliver, thank you for your response, I agree that it is possible that public debate and input from local people can improve the scheme. that has been my feeling to date as all the changes we have made so far to our original proposal have been in reponse to comments from the public and I feel that the scheme is evolving well. I now have to let the professional bodies such as English Heritage, CABE, Lewes Planning Department, etc have their say. When we get their response, we will go onto the next stage in the design evolution. That is not to say that in the meantime we are ignoring public comment or criticism it is just that semantics on the exact nature of the term tower are not really helpful. I have my viewpoint you have yours the planning laws are no doubt vague on descriptions of this nature as it is not really relevant, massing is considered in the total context of the proposal and whether you choose to call something a tower or a tower element of a building is not really important. What is important is that the overall result is pleasing architecturally and also performs a useful purpose. So if you would please be a little patient and let our architects get on with evolving the proposal I would hope that you and others will be pleased with the outcome.
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charles style
Re:Phoenix Action - 2006/04/26 17:59Domonic, you are absolutely right it is not particularly cost effective to build these towers the design was influence by the european hill towns that to a certain extent Lewes is an example of. Piers Gough did not include this feature as a cunning ploy to only be removed later in a tactical retreat, that would indeed have been a cynical game. However if as I said yesterday the overall consensus from our consultation exercise is that they have to go then the will go from the proposal. However I personally and Piers too do hope that we do not end up with what i would call "lowest common denominator architecture" by that I mean that everything becomes so safe and uncontroversial to assuage the concerns of local people and conservation groups that the scheme becomes bland or a pastiche of the old. There is i am sure a middle ground whereby Lewes gets a stunning piece of architecture that respects the context it is in and yet has it's own identity. As far as the overall viability of what we are trying to produce , again there is a fine balance, in order to produce the community benefits including affordable housing, river front walk, flood defenses, foot bridge, new fire station, new public squares and courtyards, there is a position whereby if the scheme is reduced too much it is not viable and will not proceed. We will be producing all the eveidence we have collected that will enable Lewes District Council to assess how this viability works. We hope to get a balance absolutely right between what is possible architecturally and what is doable in terms of viability, this is not easy but is something I feel with a little public goodwill and the careful scrutiny of all local interested parties , such as The Friends of Lewes, The Chamber of Commerce, The Town council and Lewes Matters. As well as the Lewes District Council and East Sussex County Council. Can and will be acheived.
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charles style
Re:Phoenix Action - 2006/04/26 18:02sorry, I misspelled your name Dominic, my spelling is not all that.
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I am worried that this discussion is not addressing the most pressing issue; the one that more than any other will affect life in Lewes if your proposed development goes ahead. Do we really need a traffic survey to tell us what 800 more cars will do to our town? Cars will clog the streets, and some of our loveliest streets will become rat-runs; dangerous to walk along and unpleasant to live in. Attempts at routing the extra traffic are irrelevant - more traffic means more jams which means people doubling back and finding their way however they can through the town. I wonder why there has been no discussion about car-free development,which has worked well in Europe and in Scotland. The Phoenix site would be an ideal place for such a development, being close to all amenities, within a few minutes of a mainline railway station, and in the heart of a town with a reputation for being green, alternative and radical. At a time when governments are starting to cast around desperately for solutions to the problem of carbon emissions, do you not agree that car-free is the future of housing development?
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