Eton college, Welbeck Land and the Plunkett Foundation aka the North Barnes Farm Partnership make various erroneous claims on their website – here we answer them…
THEY SAY
Over a third of North Barnes Farm’s fruit and veg needs will be fulfilled by on-site growing
THEY SAY
We are seeking to provide 40% as genuinely affordable homes
THEY SAY
We will provide between 2,750 and 3,500 jobs on site
THEY SAY
There aren’t enough brownfield sites in Lewes or East Sussex to meet local housing needs
THEY SAY
30% biodiversity net gain – significantly above local and national targets
THEY SAY
Operationally net zero carbon by 2050 by championing renewable energy and supporting sustainability
THEY SAY
We’re going to bring nature and biodiversity into this town and we’re going to protect the existing ancient woodland and hedgerows whilst enhancing treescapes and improving waterways
THEY SAY
This vision can only be delivered with a legacy landowner on board – this means one that is not in it to make a quick profit
THEY SAY
Over time the quality of the soil has worsened, hedgerows have been removed and habitats destroyed
THEY SAY
Stand on one of the many public footpaths and you’ll be struck by the deafening silence…. Devoid of birdsong, chirping insects, bat flights and hedgerow inhabitants, this is the consequence of the current way of doing things
WE SAY
How? Where? And who will run and manage this? 3,250 houses = 6,500 people as a minimum – a third of that is food for almost 2,200 people! If they are building over productive farmland – which is currently producing meat, cereals and vegetables – even if this claim were true and became a reality, it still wouldn’t compensate for the loss of the farmland
WE SAY
All developers say that to get plans approved. The reality is different because during development builders say to make the profit they need, they can only supply 30% - or sometimes less. Phase 2 of the Ridgeview Place development in Uckfield which Welbeck Land brokered has only 15% affordable homes
WE SAY
How can they guarantee this? Promising 3000 new local jobs while planning to increase the local population by 3000 new households is not even plausible. Will people get the job together with the house? Research shows that 74% of employed workers living in settlements in West Sussex work elsewhere
WE SAY
Halving the annual housebuilding targets to reflect correct ONS population projections will help as will the govt’s recent commitment to make it easier to convert empty retail premises into flats
There are currently (a/o May 2023) existing planning permissions for 1,872 homes that haven’t yet been started and which cannot be carried forward to offset against targets in the next local plan. There is no time limit imposed on building once permission is given so wealthy landowners like Eton can simply sit on the land and watch prices rise – as Eton have done since 1999, when they bought the North Barnes Farm site
There’s no incentive for building on brown field sites – vat is charged on converting buildings into homes, while building on countryside is zero rated – this should be reversed
What happened to levelling up – why build in deprived areas where house prices are low, when they can make more money to build where premium prices can be achieved – incentives should be given where need it most
We should be looking at building smaller units that young and low-income people can really afford - not 3, 4 and 5 bedroom executive homes. Smaller brownfield sites would be ideal for such developments
There’s been massive development in surrounding areas like Burgess Hill, Hailsham and Uckfield – there should be a way to off-set against these in areas like Lewes with less developable land available
WE SAY
This is hard to fathom! 10% will be the national requirement. This means not just making up for negative impacts, but actively increasing habitats and wildlife. Do they intend to exploit off site possibilities like buying biodiversity credits?
WE SAY
More expensive to achieve, but will be a national requirement, so not exclusive or unique to the Eton new town.
WE SAY
No! We have documentary proof from various surveys that nature and biodiversity is here now. How can concreting over a large part of the land bring more nature in? How do they propose to protect ancient woodland and hedgerows from bulldozers – this will be down to the builders, who flout protection measures on building sites daily. Once constructed, who will ‘police’ the 6,500-plus residents from damaging the remaining trees, waterways, animals and hedgerows
WE SAY
So that’s Eton College out of the picture then! Eton has owned the land for almost 25 years and has done nothing. It has had zero involvement other than to take rent from the tenant farmer. Why would that change? It is the country’s richest private school and stands to increase its vast coffers by multi-million £s by sealing a deal with builders who don’t care about the environment. It will already have made its profit.
WE SAY
Possibly - but plenty of wildlife, flora and crops thrive on poor soil; there are still miles of ancient hedgerows lived in by rare mammals, insects and birds. If this concerns Eton, why hasn’t it stepped in to reverse any decline in the past 25 years. It has simply taken its rental income and sat on its investment until the time was right to sell.
WE SAY
Seriously…? The Eton land contains irreplaceable and protected wildlife habitats including ancient hedgerows, woodlands and veteran oak trees. It provides nature corridors for rare and endangered animals and birds, plus over 530 species of flowering plants, fungi, lichens, liverworts, mosses and ferns. Official records show 28 species of mammals including 8 species of bats and dormice. There’s 121 bird species including endangered birds like skylarks, nightingales and corncrakes; huge numbers of butterflies, bees and other insects; plus numerous reptiles and amphibians all alive and thriving. Many are already classed as endangered species. Where will they go? All this contributes towards genetic diversity, soil, water and air quality, carbon storage … and brings other benefits to us all. The carbon footprint of a 3,250-house new town in an isolated area, plus all its new infrastructure would be significant.