Irwin Mitchell planning team to advise on £180 million mixed use scheme in Lewes

Work to develop a 15- acre brownfield site in Lewes, East Sussex is to begin following the completion of final legal requirements. Planning for the North Street Quarter development was approved in December 2015 by the South Downs National Park’s planning committee. Permission was granted in May 2016 and the judicial review period has just concluded. The way is now clear for work to start on the site.

The first phase of the North Street Quarter development is scheduled to be completed in 2019 and  will bring considerable assets to the town, including:

• 243 of the 416 houses, including 165 affordable homes
• A new health centre serving 26,000 patients
• An underground public car park with 330 spaces
• A business/retail district for creative industries

The scheme will also carry out extensive works on the River Ouse, completing the town’s flood defences and creating  new public access to the river with a footbridge and a riverside promenade on two levels. This will provide Lewes with a new riverside leisure area.

Clive Wilding, Director of Santon North Street, said: “North Street Quarter represents a £180m investment in Lewes and is providing the town with much needed affordable housing and public services, including a state of the art health hub accommodating GPs, dentists and a pharmacy.  We are also creating work space and retail outlets, which will provide flexible and affordable premises for creative businesses. We are delighted that, following the three year successful consultative planning stage, we are now starting work on the North Street Quarter development.”

Carl Dyer, National Head of Planning at Irwin Mitchell said; “This has been a three year process and although planning was finally granted in December 2015, we have been waiting to see if the Judicial Review would  delay things further. We are delighted to have now received the go-ahead on this development which will provide homes to help alleviate the housing shortage in this area and provide Lewes with much needed flood defences. We are delighted to have been able to help Santon make this valuable contribution to the Governments over- optimistic target of building 200,00 homes a year in the UK.”