Make your voice heard!
Everyone concerned about Eton College’s controversial plans to build 3,000 houses in a pristine area of historic farmland at the foot of the South Downs is being urged to ensure they join the first wave of public consultation this summer.
A two-month window giving all stakeholders a chance to comment on the Issues and Options phase of Lewes District Council’s development of a new Local Plan starts July 9.
If you’re worried you might miss out on any consultation deadlines, sign up here for updates and info from the Council. We will, of course, publish info here on how to get involved in the Issues and Options consultation phase as soon as we have the details.
This first stage is very general and won’t directly reference Eton's development plans at East Chiltington. It is likely to include far more general questions about views on land use such as: "Do you prefer to see a larger number of smaller developments next to existing settlements or one or two larger developments?"
Once the Council has had a chance to review comments on Issues and Options, it will draft a new Local Plan and share this again for comments though public consultation. All other district councils in East Sussex are also currently having to revise their local plans.
What is a Local Plan?
A Local Plan is vital for determining future land use in the area; it sets out all local planning policies and proposals including what kind of development can go where to ensure there are the right number and types of homes, space for businesses and the infrastructure needed to support a growing population (such as roads, schools and health services.) Local Plans are also used to protect the district’s landscapes, wildlife and historic assets. Critically, the plan will seek to ensure development in the district can adapt to and prevent climate change.
Why we need a new Local Plan
Lewes’s current Local Plan was adopted in May 2016 and, technically, it’s still current (covering the period from 2010 to 2030) however Local Plans must be “up to date” and, following significant changes in national planning policy, Lewes has decided it needs a new Local Plan. This has to be submitted to the Government by 2023.
It’s worth noting that Lewes’s current Local Plan Part 1 is five years old this month – meaning that the cap on local housing need will now double – from 345 new homes a year to 782. The new Local Plan will cover everywhere in the district apart from the South Downs National Park which has its own Local Plan.
The Eton College development
In September 2020, Lewes began its “Call for Sites” – a first step in evidence gathering for potential development sites and, in February, consultation on these sites was undertaken with Town and Parish Councils and details of the Eton College development were revealed.
The ecological impact of concreting over this special downland area and unspoilt open countryside would be devastating and irreversible – destroying local habitat & eco systems and ruining the tranquillity of the area and its small village communities. Most important of all – it’s not needed. Campaigners strongly believe that local housing targets are already being met.
The carbon footprint of a 3,000-house new town plus all its new infrastructure would be significant. The development would result in some 6,000 additional new town residents, 4,200 more cars and 3.5 million more car trips per year. There is no existing infrastructure capable of supporting a new town at East Chiltington and the scheme threatens to degrade the South Downs National Park by building a town right on its doorstep.
Campaign leader Marc Munier said: “Eton College’s plans are a purely speculative land venture designed to achieve a one-off increase in the value of the assets of an already very wealthy organization, to serve the privileged at the expense of the rest of us. This scheme makes no sense at all as a way to benefit local people and will blight the area forever.”
New national Planning Bill
MPs are also set to vote on a controversial overhaul of England's planning system in the Autumn. The Planning Bill - announced at the Queen's Speech earlier this month – aims to stop local opponents blocking development in designated "growth zones". Countryside charity CPRE has slammed the Bill, saying it would lead to "open season for developers on large parts of the countryside". Local officials would lose their power to assess building applications case-by-case and would instead have to classify all land as "protected", for "renewal", or for "growth". Former Prime Minister Theresa May is leading a backbench revolt against the Bill saying that the plans would remove local decision-making, build over rural areas, and not deliver the affordable homes needed. Ministers are also consulting on a new algorithm to divide the England-wide 300,000 house building target into binding local quotas.
For more info on Lewes District Council’s Local Plan, click here.
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