Santon North Street was obliged to decline participating in the debate which Lewes Phoenix Rising organised, chaired by David Dimbleby, because jointly with Lewes District Council, as landowners, we formally submitted a Planning Application to the Planning Authority in March 2015. This application is past its formal public consultation period and is pending a planning committee decision.
To draw this application into a debate at this stage, post formal public consultation, would be legally and professionally inappropriate and contrary to planning process.
Before submitting the Planning Application, as joint applicants we did undertake three years of public consultation with many public workshops, taking many comments raised into account and this early public engagement did influence what has become the current Planning Application.
The Planning Application is 100 per cent in accordance with Approved Local Plan policy, (Joint Core Strategy local plan to 2030 policy SP3) promoted and approved by the Joint Local Planning Authorities, which in itself has been part of an eight year pubic debate. It would be wrong to totally ignore this formal democratic process.
North Street Quarter is a 15 acre regeneration area set to deliver 415 homes, of which 40% are formal classified affordable homes and a further 15% of the balance of open market are local first priority. This with 140,000 sqft of mixed commercial and light industrial space delivering 475 full-time registered jobs, completing town flood defences, creating riverside walks, revitalising this part of town which was damaged by previous floods and fire, will ensure it has a long term sustainable future, taking it forward to the next centuries to come.