On 14 Jun 2015 at 8:52pm Fairmeadow wrote:
Lewes DC is holding a "consultation event" at the Meridian Centre, Peacehaven, this coming Wednesday, 17 June, from 7-9 pm to discuss its plans for a surprisingly precise 415 new homes including 165 affordable homes, on 30 council-owned sites including the St Mary's Social Centre, the Western Road toilets and a long thin site called 'Ham Lane' along the Lewes bypass.
Is it just me who didn't know?
The FAQs on this page are interesting too.
Check it out here »
On 15 Jun 2015 at 8:38am Belladonna wrote:
So the developers and plans are already in place !!!
Maybe if we had a decent local press we might have been more aware...
See this from the FAQs
"Why was the public not consulted when the sites for development were being determined?"
"The aim of the regeneration portfolio is to involve the private sector and world class architects in designing and imagining innovative developments – we couldn’t speak to the public about their ideas before they had been developed as the consortium didn’t want to set plans “in stone” until they had spoken to local people to hear their ideas.
As soon as the commercial deal is concluded we start the consultation and ideas generation process. All the normal checks and balances are in place through planning process to record and consider public views. This can only be done once everyone knows what the proposals for each site are."
On 15 Jun 2015 at 10:21am Local wrote:
I thought the 415 were in the Santon area; I believe that's what the latest LDC newsletter says...
On 15 Jun 2015 at 2:07pm Fairmeadow wrote:
Different things, Local.
About 400 houses in Lewes North Street for Santon (actual planning application, based on draft Local Plan).
Another 415 houses on 30 Lewes DC-owned plots of land scattered throughout the District.
This thread is about the second lot. Can quite understand why people get confused though.
On 15 Jun 2015 at 3:43pm Skeptical cynic wrote:
Is it any co-incidence that the public consultation meeting is being held in Peacehaven, even though the majority of sites under consultation are not in Peacehaven, but are elsewhere in the District?
A cynic might believe LDC have deliberately chosen to hold the consultation in Peacehaven, in hope of detering many people from attending and thus from raising objections in a public forum. Objectors to sale/redevelopment of sites Like St Mary's Social Centre may find it very difficult to attend soem where like Peacehaven due to lack of easy public transport links, especially in view of the relatively early starting time.
However, even if very few turn up to object, LDC can then still say , "Well we held an open public consulation meeting as required, but very few people turned up and objected, so there is no reason to change our plans, as most people seem happy, otehrwise more would have turned up to voice their concerns at the Consultation Meeting." ...
Why not hold the meeting in Lewes, the county town, or even in Newhaven or Seaford which have easier road and rail, if not bus, links to the wider area..?
Sorry, it seems to me that choice of venue is a typically underhand ploy by LDC to reduce the ease with which the strength of feeling of people drectly affected by the sites beign sold can be expressed. For example, look how far rsidents of barcombe or Neweick have to travel to Peacehaven, whereas if th meeting had been held in Lewes, no-one would have had to travel more than ten or so miles...
Sorry, it is no coincidence that Peacehaven has been chosen as the venue...
In my opinion (for what little it counts), wherever it ha dbene held, Wednesday's Publlc Consultation meeting is simply a "box-ticking" exercise so that LDC can tick the box to say they have consulted the population via a public meeting, whilst leavign them to ride rough-shod over the electorate's wishes.
And don't forget, even if they are obliged to CONSULT the population about their plans, they are under no obligation to listen and CHANGE their plans in response. They will be able to say, "We did consult, we did hear the objections, but we believe the objections are unfounded and/or do not reflect the wishes of the majority of our residents, so we still believe our plan is best, and have seen no reason to change it. Having had your opportunity to raise objections the electorate can now sit down and shut up, as we carry on regardless. Thank you and goodnight."
On 16 Jun 2015 at 5:11pm bastian wrote:
Consultaion, is the new buzz word, like "have your say", it is a box tiocking exercise that has to be done so the legal tape can be tied up. I've been looking at the sites around Newhaven on the LDC, PDF which outlnes maps of all the building areas and gives a written description of each one-some of it is green belt by any other land, farm land, scrub land (other wise known as vital nature corridors), only a handful of the land is re building on old brown field. One of them is a football pitch (Ringmer I think), that should make you concerned if you are paying extra expenses on a recreation ground near you, because it could very well become a housing estate if the council choose to sell it off. I think it is the scale of this that feels imposed, they really are going for it in a way that hasn't been seen in years, Malling I suppose was the last big build, possibly the houses behind Friars Walk?
On 16 Jun 2015 at 5:52pm Ham Lane Homeless Hostel wrote:
That's what we want
On 16 Jun 2015 at 10:27pm Neville man wrote:
Ham Lane Homeless; might not understand your angle, but the Tories have NOT set up planning for "affordable housing."
It is set up so developers APPLY for permission with affordable housing, but if it is not "cost affective" they can withdraw the "affordable" housing. Hence, it is not going to happen in Lewes.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 5:34pm HLH wrote:
Right, I didn't appreciate that, and thought a out of the way place could be put to some good use 