A model and a selection of artists’ impressions of the proposed North Street development, all designed by Angel Property, are currently on display in the Town Hall for public scrutiny. This has led to some confusion, because some of the land included in these mock-ups actually belongs to the District Council. And it appears that the council are not willing to sell it to Angel.
In a public meeting on Thursday, MP Norman Baker made a dramatic announcement. “In this particular case,” he stated, “the District Council owns some of the land and therefore has a choice about whether to sell the land or not. I understand, having talked to the leader of the council, that the council will not sell the land to the present developer.” He later confirmed this on the Lewes Matters website.
This is an interesting development. Before submitting detailed planning proposals Angel Property need first to provide the council with an outline proposal strong enough to persuade that body’s planning department to change the terms of the land use from light industrial to mixed-use development. If they manage to obtain such approval, they will then propose a ‘Phase 1’ planning application, corresponding to the land that they own or have options on, roughly speaking the area adjacent to the river, where most of the shops and housing units have been planned to be built.
The area in which many of the public-amenity carrots dangled by Angel in their proposals were meant to be located - including the much-mentioned cinema, the crèche, the artists’ studios and the medical centre - would be included in a ‘Phase 2’ proposal. Delivery of Phase 2 as Angel have proposed is contingent on the District Council selling their land. Which they have just categorically announced that they are not prepared to do. It appears that the goalposts have significantly shifted in the North Street development debate.