On 26 May 2016 at 8:30pm Tda wrote:
Just saw some of the covers of the Premier Inn have been pulled back - i was impressed with what they've done, architecturally at least. Good.
On 26 May 2016 at 11:59pm Me wrote:
When it is open, It will be the best thing to happen in Lewes since 5th November 1605!
On 27 May 2016 at 3:41am Resident wrote:
TDA--Obviously Specsavers are closed,
Me--you must have a very low opinion of Lewes.
Wait till the whole overbearing monstrosity is unveiled and you have nowhere to park, you may think differently.
On 27 May 2016 at 8:15am Nosein'about wrote:
From what you can see at the moment, I think it looks OK. They have at least tried to make it blend in with other buildings in the area with the style/colour of the brickwork. I await the full unveiling with interest.
On 27 May 2016 at 8:43am Tda wrote:
Resident - I wrote 'Architecturally'. What I saw yesterday seemed in keeping with the surrounding older buildings. I didn't mention anything else.
On 27 May 2016 at 9:11am petitepois wrote:
I think its going to be great...better than staying in other hotels in Lewes!! Anywhoo...the court their before looked very ugly so anything would be better.
On 27 May 2016 at 1:43pm Resident wrote:
The architects are to be congratulated, they took the theme of the courthouse and turned it into a prison, complete with barred windows.
On 27 May 2016 at 3:11pm Grapevine wrote:
I'm all for local businesses, but the fact is that most of the hotels in Lewes are absolutely dire - the Crown, the White Hart, the Shelleys and the Black Horse are overpriced dumps. If they weren't so rubbish there would be no demand for a premier Inn, so it's no good them moaning. And architecturally it's no worse that the crappy Sixties stuff at the top of Cliffe High St - bring it on I say
On 28 May 2016 at 12:35am Me wrote:
"Resident wrote:
TDA--Obviously Specsavers are closed,
Me--you must have a very low opinion of Lewes.
Wait till the whole overbearing monstrosity is unveiled and you have nowhere to park, you may think differently"
I have a very high opinion of Lewes as it goes and the building is looking very sensitive to the area inside and out, And I should know as I have been following the build since the first pile was inserted.
As for parking, There will be no less parking than when the site it covers served as a magistrates court! Maybe You Should Have Gone To SpecSavers.
On 28 May 2016 at 10:20am Olive from on the buses wrote:
Specsavers closed? How rude that they never told me. I was just about to book an eye test so I could get a new prescription for my jam jar bottoms as I wrongly walked into the gents changing room after my swim at the leisure centre. Caused a right old palarva. Ooh arrrfffaaa!!!
On 28 May 2016 at 4:32pm Blakey wrote:
Gor blimey Olive, I know you were a tasty lass made up to look daft. Whereas I am a genuine old fart. Kind regards, Blakey.
On 28 May 2016 at 5:38pm Big brush wrote:
I agree. It's looking good - much more in keeping to the rest of Friars walk than the post modern magistrates monstrosity.
On 28 May 2016 at 8:34pm Watcher wrote:
@Grapevine. What scrappy sixties stuff in Cliffe High Street? There's not a single sixties building in the whole street.
On 28 May 2016 at 9:02pm Resident wrote:
Me----How can you say there is no less parking, the courthouse had their own 45 parking spaces in their own car park, where the developer wants to build housing.
The developer says some 60 new jobs will be created + guests in 61 bedroom hotel, where will they park without take up ratepayer funded space in the adjacent 80 space car park? Or are you of the misguided belief that they will bike in or use public transport?
On 28 May 2016 at 9:56pm Miscellany wrote:
We cannot assume that all the hotel guests will arrive by car. Or - one could just as easily assume that they will arrive by train.
On 28 May 2016 at 11:11pm Me wrote:
Resident wrote:
Me----How can you say there is no less parking, the courthouse had their own 45 parking spaces in their own car park, where the developer wants to build housing.
The developer says some 60 new jobs will be created + guests in 61 bedroom hotel, where will they park without take up ratepayer funded space in the adjacent 80 space car park? Or are you of the misguided belief that they will bike in or use public transport?
In your original post you said "Wait till the whole overbearing monstrosity is unveiled and you have nowhere to park, you may think differently"
You could not never ever park in the Magistrates Court car park back then and you will not ever to be able to park there in the future.
I Rest My Case!
On 29 May 2016 at 2:58am Resident wrote:
Me--- I never said you could/would park in the magistrates car park. Many people are still under the misconception that this car park would be used by the hotel, which was never the case, as unfortunately the SDNPA allowed hotel use of the pubic car park.
Where do you think the staff and guests that arrive by car will park?
On 29 May 2016 at 7:15am Mini Me wrote:
Let them park by Laura Ashley
On 29 May 2016 at 5:59pm Another B and B lady wrote:
Very few Premier Inns have designated parking - certainly none of the ones in Towns. I recently stayed at the Marlow Premier Inn. Marlow very similar to Lewes and parking extremely limited in a prosperous and busy little town. The Premier Inn had no parking at all ...
I can't imagine many of the Lewes staff will come by car, with a railway station close by and bus station. May I dare to suggest that most of the staff will not own cars . What do the staff of all the other Premier Inns up and down the country do when working in the Town Premier Inns? Please tell me if you know. Same applies to guests. Where do they park in Brighton, Marlow etc. etc.
On 30 May 2016 at 12:52am Me wrote:
A Wee message to the Resident . . . The Old Courtroom Premier Inn in Lewes will be open for business mid July ish whether you like it or not.
Externally it has been very sympathetically designed to blend in with the historic Lewes architecture.
Lewes was never built for the car in mind and never will be, Guests or Staff of the Lewes Premier Inn will be aware of that in advance.
Why is the Car the most important word Mr/Mrs Resident?
On 30 May 2016 at 7:11am Lewes Voter 3 wrote:
There was never any call for a chain hotel and I still cannot believe this is going to be able to open against the protests of right minded people here. I am boycotting anything to do with it. Remember what we all achieved with Greene King ten years ago and how we kept outsiders out of the railway station cafe
On 30 May 2016 at 7:19am Resident wrote:
Another B&B and ME are you emplyed by PI or their agents as you sure are batting for them. I'm sure PI policy is not to pay for parking facilities but to impose on local facilities, but it doesn't make it right. In this case the developer bought a package of court house and car park, but despite many requests to include it in the proposal, kept it for future development and profit. Nothing illegal in that, but not the best deal for the town and should have stopped by planning dept.
ME -- The design is way better than originally planned but this is nothing to do with the developers, societies in Lewes, or SDNPA who all recomended the original glass/wood design. Local opposition forced the changes.
I am aware that Lewes was invented before the car, but the car is here to stay and has to be provided for, and it could have been in this proposal, had profit not been the prime motive. Check out the opposition to the development of car park.
Something smells, and it isn't the fishmongers in Riverside.
On 30 May 2016 at 7:32am Another B and B lady wrote:
Lewes voter 3. Yes there is a need for a 'chain hotel' and the SDNP recognised this when it gave the Premier Inn planning permission. Town b and b's turn people away, every day, as there are not enough affordable, and decent, hotel rooms available in the Town for the number of visitors Lewes is now attracting. Whether Lewes should be just a tourist attraction or not is another debate I'm not getting into. But the number of walkers has gone up hugely in the 12 years we've run a B and B. Resident: the SDNP is the overarching planning authority so LDC had nothing to do with final decision. Sorry, but this is 2016 and we know now how damaging car pollution is and as a society we should at least start to get rid of of cars from our small town centres. We need a park and ride system and free, electric busses circulating around the Town. Accommodating the car is defeatist. We should be starting to make people get out of them. This is also the view of the SDNP.
On 30 May 2016 at 8:16am Resident wrote:
B and B:
All laudable ideals, but where is the vast majority of electricity generated, possibly by burning fossil fuels but that's ok as the power station is out of town.
Is your B and B in town centre and do you have a car?
On 30 May 2016 at 10:16am Resident wrote:
B and B.
p.s. Yes I'm aware that SDNPA are the planning authority which is why I mentioned them and not LDC.
On 30 May 2016 at 10:56am Peeping Tom wrote:
You are all more than welcome to park in my property for free as long as you let me hide behind my garden shed and peep at your vehicles as you drive in.
On 30 May 2016 at 2:39pm Another B and B lady wrote:
Yes resident. Our B and B is right in town and we share a small car with daughter. We are about to join the car club as we use our car very little. A large proportion of our guests come by train, or their feet, or taxi. I just say again, that we should all be looking to see how we make Lewes car free for our children and grandchildren's sake, not to mention our waist lines. You can walk to most of Lewes and yes, I do my shopping with a large trolley and sometimes use the bus to get me (over 70) and the trolley up the hills.
On 30 May 2016 at 3:01pm Dale Winton wrote:
Can you take shopping trolleys on the bus now? Good grief how times have changed. I wonder if they would let us film a new series of Supermarket Sweep on the number 29? One of the new games could be called "see how long you can hold onto your trolley as the driver pulls away before you get chance to sit down".
On 30 May 2016 at 11:12pm Jeff wrote:
Can I just ask,
Have you used a premier inn without getting to it by car?
I haven't btw.
On 31 May 2016 at 7:05pm VIva Hate wrote:
I like Premier Inn. Clean, reliable, comfortable, warm. And very cheap usually. And family friendly
On 1 Jun 2016 at 12:39am Me wrote:
On Mon 30 May at 11:12pm Jeff wrote:
Can I just ask,
Have you used a premier inn without getting to it by car?
I haven't btw.
I have used both T-Lodges and Premier-Inns with and without a Resident "Car"
On 7 Jun 2016 at 10:34pm Neil Brown wrote:
I think over all its a good thing, it will provide jobs and income for the town instead of an empty building that was there before.