November 19th, 2024.



The Leader of Lewes District Council has joined the chorus of disapproval over the government’s proposed changes to how local housing targets are calculated, as Cabinet prepares to consider the latest consultation on the Local Plan.

Local plans set out where future development will take place, such as new homes, schools, transport infrastructure and locations for business growth, as well the local policy requirements against which future planning applications will be judged. 

The first phase of the consultation will look at sites within towns and a limited number of villages. The second phase will have a greater emphasis on more rural parts of the district, while also re-evaluating areas considered during phase one.

Councillor Nicholson (pictured) said: “Angela Rayner has managed to unite all parties, including her own, against the government’s reforms. ??

“Council leaders and councillors of every political colour have appealed to her to pause and rethink this imposition of totally unrealistic housing targets.? Putting aside the disruption and uncertainty these proposals have for the extensive work already completed on our local plan, the reforms fail to acknowledge the multiple factors that are beyond our control, such as a national park cutting though the middle of our planning area or developers sitting idle on existing permissions for development.

“The Secretary of State is wielding a sledgehammer to solve the housing crisis, instead of working collaboratively with councils to understand how to achieve the new housing our residents need, particularly in areas such as ours where we are severely constrained by the English Channel, South Downs National Park and rural villages lacking adequate infrastructure.”

The considerable amount of feedback from earlier council consultations has helped to shape the latest version of the plan.? Over 50,000 comments have been received from residents and local groups during the previous two rounds of public consultation. These were alongside engagement with external stakeholders and neighbouring authorities on cross-boundary matters.

Councillor Laurence O’Connor, Cabinet Member for Planning, said: “Various considerations, including the government’s proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, mean that we are undertaking a two-phased consultation.

“The first phase will largely focus, but not exclusively, on potential sites in towns within the plan area, while the second phase will look at more rural locations, such as greenfield areas in and around villages.

“There are some great ideas for the future provision of much needed homes, many of which need to be affordable homes or council housing. ?Building strong communities is central to how we are looking at the creation of the Local Plan and this thinking has had a heavy influence on the upcoming consultation process.”

The Cabinet meeting will take place on December 5. To view the meeting online, please visit www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk