The Phoenix Quarter

Phoenix Quarter Checklist


The Pheonix Quarter Checklist is a series of detailed answers by Charles Style to questions he has recieved from Lewes Matters and other interested parties.

These answers cover everything from heights and density through to sustainability and are very detailed.Which means the document runs to around twenty-eight pages and too long to scroll in this window. Please download the complete Pheonix Quarter Checklist as a pdf file.

However, if you scroll down you can read the Introduction along with a summary of the questions answered in the full document.

The Phoenix Quarter Checklist: Introduction

We have been asked by Lewes Matters to prepare this checklist in order for local people to have a clear understanding on certain key issues to do with the proposed development of the Phoenix Quarter. In it I answer a list of questions partly based upon the Lewes Matters survey and questions put to me by Marco Crivello and Anthony Dicks of Lewes Matters in September. as well as questions arising from a more recent meeting at Pelham House. We believe that some of the questions that relate to policy are best answered by Lewes District Council.

Firstly, let me say that I appreciate the work that Lewes Matters have been doing to present an open forum for information relating to the project to be discussed and presented.

Over the last year we have been through an extensive period of consultation with both the local and national groups and agencies [see list at the end of this document] and by way of three separate weeks of public consultation at an exhibition of the proposals. During this consultation period the proposal to create a new quarter for Lewes has evolved and changed. The first series of changes largely responded to feedback received at the first public exhibition in September 2005 these were shown at the third public exhibition in March 2006. Since then there have been a number of other changes to the scheme mainly to do with the bulk and massing of the buildings. This document seeks to set out the current status of the proposal.

You will see from the list of reports at the end of this document that there is an enormous amount of information that has to be prepared for a proposal of this nature. All this information has to be checked and correlated in advance of the application. This document is a best assessment of the planning application as it now stands, the process we have been through in its preparation and the supporting material commissioned by Angel Property.

Here are just some of the questions that are answered in the full Phoenix Quarter Checklist:

Have Lewes planning authority accepted that a hybrid application (between outline and full) is acceptable in relation to Local Plan policy ST3 Design Form and Setting?

Will this development’s enhancement and protection of ‘local distinctiveness’ - as set out in Government Policy PPS1- make it worthy to be included in the conservation area?

Height, massing and scale. What high elements still remain in the scheme?

Density, i.e. number of dwellings and habitable rooms per Hectare and the proposed housing mix.

Percentage of the current scheme is allocated for family housing, and how that is constituted, i.e. flats that are family sized, or detached and semi detached dwellings. How will they be apportioned between the Phase One and Phase two sites?

What percentage of affordable housing will be provided and how will this be spread across the site?

Lewes District Council have produced a Sustainability Checklist. What sustainability targets will the development be meeting?

With regard to renewable energy, the LDF core option preferred strategy would seek not 10 but 15% renewable energy, with an additional commitment to increase this requirement if evidence suggests this is feasible. Will Angel Property be aiming to meet the 15% or greater target?

As a result of the meeting there was a commitment from Angel property to look at delivering a zero carbon development. What progress has been made on this point?
Retail impact on existing local traders and the economic impact of the development.
What is the smallest size retail unit proposed?

Relocation of existing businesses to the Malling Brooks site and the creation of new employment space and new jobs.

How is the ‘potential’ figure of 1000 new permanent jobs arrived at, and what is the percentage generated on the new Malling Brooks industrial estate?

Environmental and sustainability issues relating to the Malling Brooks site.

Whilst a Breeam target is helpful, we were surprised to see no percentage target for renewable energy set for this site. Are Angel Property prepared to set such a target?
Infrastructure, including schools and medical places, services including water, gas, electricity and drainage.

Traffic generation and road layout, including Sustainable Transport Strategy, bicycle paths, bicycle parking and car club. 

Parking, pedestrian area and riverfront walk.

What are the government guidelines for office and retail parking allowances? In addition to the above will there be on street parking? In calculating the number of residential car parking spaces, was a percentage allowed for homes where for whatever reason they would not have personal ownership of a car in any case? The reduction of car parking spaces will be distributed evenly across the site and not as has happened in certain developments, targeted to the blocks of Affordable Housing?

Planning gain and how the integrity of Section106 agreements can be protected.

Flood defences; the effect of the proposed flood defence upstream in Landport and Malling and downstream in the Cliffe and South Street areas. As well as the proposed design for the Pelham Terrace area flood defences.

Lewes Matters have conducted a survey to look at the potential impact on the trees in the Pells area by Flood defences. There was a suggestion that a meeting could take place with Lizard Landscapes to go through this survey on site, is this still possible?


Please download the pdf


 

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