Norman Baker on Planning in Lewes

We’ve avoided mistakes in the past but must remain vigilant

Concerns about planning matters are never far from the surface of Lewes, and quite rightly so. We have a very special town to protect, and must be ever vigilant. While many towns were ravaged in the second half of the last century, Lewes wasn’t.

This was not because unsympathetic schemes were not forthcoming - they were. The proposal for a dual carriageway road to cut through the heart of the town seems unbelievable now, but it was a serious runner until it was stopped in its tracks. One plan from the 1930s even envisaged demolishing much of the upper High Street, leaving St Michael's church on a traffic island!

No, the fact that the integrity of Lewes has been so well respected is largely down to its active residents, be it organisations like the Friends of Lewes, or individuals like Elizabeth Howard.

Of course there is a balance between conservation and fossilisation We should surely encourage an outbreak of microgeneration capacity on our houses, sensitively done, even if that does run across traditional planning policies designed to protect our town.

I am also quite clear what the response should be to the greedy application by Tesco to expand their store and extend into non-food areas, undoubtedly to the severe disbeneflt of our splendid existing independent traders. It is to say no, unambiguously.

Yet there is a problem here, and more generally. Over recent years, and largely unnoticed by the public at large, planning powers have been stripped away from local councils, and development made easier by the Labour government, which argues that local councils are too obstructive in these matters. A system which already favoured the big boys, with their deep pockets and capacity to intimidate councils, has been loaded even more in their direction. All those who care about local democracy ought to be worried about the direction of travel.

Nevertheless, I am encouraging Lewes District Council to say no to this application, though if they do, I would fully expect Tesco to go running to a government inspector, who can overrule the council and whose approach to this matter is likely to be much less sympathetic. Increasingly, such inspectors are even awarding costs to applicants, to punish councils for daring to resist such developments, costs of course that have to be met from the council tax.

The same power imbalance will also apply to determination of the major Phoenix scheme, though here, it seems to me, the arguments are less clear-cut. It is certainly true that such a dollop of new housing will change the nature of the town, and it comes with real dangers, though there are positive factors to be weighed in the balance.

Firstly, the present industrial area is looking increasingly run-down, and unlikely to attract investment while there are no flood defences, and the government, despite its fine words, is not intending to provide any here. The Phoenix scheme does provide those defences, as part of a community gain, and without them, it is likely that this part of Lewes will simply die off, and businesses move away, as they have already started to do.

Secondly, a big development does allow the council to extract community benefits in a way that a series of small piecemeal developments would not.The promised cinema would clearly be very welcome

Thirdly, there is a shortage of affordable housing, and a development this size allows the council to demand a reasonable percentage of the new housing be affordable for local people. And an increase in population should also help to underpin the vitality of our local shops and businesses.

But, but, but, There are a number of real concerns about this particular proposal which I think need to be overcome before any permission is given These include, in no particular order, quite proper concerns about what this will mean for the feel of the town, the height of some the buildings proposed, the impact on the existing town centre traders, the traffic consequences, the design standards with particular reference to environmental standards, and whether the development will be franchised out with initial high standards disappearing in favour of the humdrum and the banal.

I believe a scheme of this sort can he made to work for the town, but it will need to be tied down very tightly, and the District Council will need to be on top form when handling it. One thing is certain we, all of us, must not get it wrong, or future generations will not forgive us.

Lastly, in case you have been wondering what has happened to my High Street office, I have now moved to more suitable premises in the old Lewes library at 23 East Street, where I have a monthly surgery. If you need to contact me, please drop me a line there, ring my office on 480268, or e-mall me via my website at www.normanbaker.org.uk

From the Lewes Handbook, June 2006 (Room 122 at lewesonline.com)