Green Light for Innovative Mixed-Use Development in South Downs National Park

Work to develop a 15- acre brownfield site in the historic town of Lewes, East Sussex is to begin following the completion of final legal requirements. Planning for the North Street Quarter development was approved in December 2015 by the South Downs National Park’s planning committee. Permission was granted in May 2016 and the judicial review period has just concluded. The way is now clear for work to start on the site.

The first phase of the North Street Quarter development is scheduled to be completed in 2019 and  will bring considerable assets to the town, including:

243 of the 416 houses, including 165 affordable homes 

A new health centre serving 26,000 patients

An underground public car park with 330 spaces

A business/retail district for creative industries

The scheme will also carry out extensive works on the River Ouse, completing the town’s flood defences and creating  new public access to the river with a footbridge and a riverside promenade on two levels. This will provide Lewes with a new and unique riverside leisure area for residents and visitors to enjoy.   North Street Quarter’s owners, Santon North Street and Lewes District Council, have taken great care to ensure the development is sympathetically designed to complement the character and heritage of Lewes and its industrial past.

Clive Wilding, Director of Santon North Street, said: “North Street Quarter represents a £180m investment in Lewes and is providing the town with much needed affordable housing and public services, including a state of the art health hub accommodating GPs, dentists and a pharmacy.  We are also creating work space and retail outlets, which will provide flexible and affordable premises for creative businesses. We are delighted that, following the three year successful consultative planning stage, we are now starting work on the North Street Quarter development.”

Nicola Gooch, Associate Solicitor said: “The North Street Quarter is a great example of what can be achieved through collaborative working by developers and local planning authorities. It will regenerate and reinvigorate an area of Lewes which suffered badly in the floods of 2000, as well as providing a wide range of community benefits for the wider area. Clive Wilding and his team have a long track record of delivering high quality mixed-use schemes on former brownfield sites and the North Street Quarter is a project of which everyone involved can be justifiably proud."

Expert Opinion

“This has been a three year process and although planning was finally granted in May 2016, we have been waiting to see if the Judicial Review would delay things further. We are delighted to have now received the go-ahead on this development which will provide homes to help alleviate the housing shortage in this area and provide Lewes with much needed flood defences. We are delighted to have been able to help Santon make this valuable contribution to the Governments over- optimistic target of building 200,000 homes a year in the UK.” Carl Dyer - Partner