Report on Meeting with Angel Property

At our meeting with Charles Style and colleague John Jolly, we covered an extensive range of concerns. We had access to a large number of new visuals, as well as display boards dating from the end of June, although the developer stressed that ongoing consultation with English Heritage and the South East Regional Design Panel, meant that these did not necessarily represent a finalised scheme.

We stressed that whilst there was support for regeneration of this brownfield site, Lewes townspeople had many good historical reasons to be distrustful of developers and their commitment to deliver on promises and that this distrust was naturally magnified on a scheme of this scale.

This distrust was also extended towards the planning authorities.

The most positive result from this meeting is that the developer has agreed to go on the record with a checklist that we will draw up, covering a wide range of issues. These will include sustainability and affordable housing targets, and clarification on how he feels the Section 106 agreement accompanying the planning application and defined design code could be best be constructed to ensure that the community benefits and the design quality envisaged by the masterplan could actually be delivered. The developer is aware that people are concerned that the outline planning application should be the first stage in ensuring delivery of an excellent scheme and that the subsequent detailed applications must ensure that design excellence is attained and that the potential of the architecture shown in the outline application is actually improved upon in the detail rather than being watered down. He is aware that there is a great deal of scepticism in the local community about this, particularly if other developers are brought in by Angel Property to develop parts of the masterplanned area. They are willing to explain how they feel the ongoing quality of the development and the community benefits can be assured.

We believe that this document will provide a genuine opportunity to set out the criteria for what Lewes residents can expect from the planning application and an opportunity to see how these expectations can actually be met by commitments from the Developer. We also feel that in the run up to the planning application, this document will serve as an aid to better understand the full application.

Below is a list of issues, based upon the feedback we have received both generally on this website and specifically in the survey undertaken by Lewes Matters, we feel are of concern to local people. The application itself will include detailed reports on many of these matters but in advance of the application we feel it will be useful for the developer to explain how these reports have been prepared and how they will relate to the application.

1. Height, Massing, Scale.
2. Density, i.e Number of dwellings and habitable rooms per Hectare.
3. Is the scale model of the development set in the backdrop of the town completed and where is it likely to be on show?
4. What High elements remain in the scheme?
5. What percentage of affordable housing will be provided. How will this be spread across the site?
6. Lewes District Council has passed a Sustainability Checklist. What targets will this development be meeting?
7. Retail impact on existing traders.
8. Relocation of existing businesses to Malling Brooks site.
9. Environmental Issues and sustainability targets relating to the  Malling Brooks site.
10. Infrastructure. Including, school and medical spaces, services, including gas , water, drainage, electricity.
11. Traffic generation and road layout. Including green travel plan, car club, bicycle paths and bicycle parking.
12. Parking.
13. Planning gain and how the integrity of Section 106 Agreements will be protected.
14. Flood defences and impact upstream on the Pells, and Landport and downstream below Cliffe bridge. Design of flood defenses for the Pelham Terrace area.