Lewes Local Plan – Phase 2.
Lewes District Council is developing a new Local Plan that will guide how our area grows and changes up to 2040. This Plan will set the framework for delivering the housing, jobs, community facilities, and services needed by residents, workers, and visitors—while ensuring growth is sustainable and well-managed.
On 11 December, a revised draft of the Lewes Local Plan will be presented to District Councillors. If approved, public consultation will begin shortly afterward. The consultation window will be short, so it is vital that as many residents as possible take part. A strong response is important: when the Plan is examined by a Planning Inspector, the level of community engagement and public support will be a key consideration.
Without an up-to-date Local Plan, the district is increasingly vulnerable to speculative and uncontrolled development, making this process urgent. The new proposal sets out a clearer, more strategic approach to identifying development sites—focusing on location, infrastructure capacity, environmental protection, and transport.
Key principles include:
• Protecting rural areas from development that would harm landscape character or biodiversity.
• Concentrating growth in and around Tier 1 and 2 settlements, where public transport and active travel options are strongest. Chailey is classed as Tiers 4 and 5, reflecting limited local services and reduced access to sustainable transport—meaning it is not considered suitable for significant planned growth.
• Ensuring development proposals demonstrate how they prioritise transport solutions such as walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport, shared mobility, and private vehicles.
Local Plan allocations will be required to:
• Provide or support early delivery of effective public transport and active travel links.
• Include comprehensive walking and cycling networks.
• Deliver mobility-hub infrastructure connecting homes with services and employment areas.
• Avoid any development that undermines sustainable transport or increases car dependency.
The Parish Council will share further information as soon as it becomes available.
