Planning appeal at Phoenix Industrial Estate, Lewes

The Planning Inspectorate is holding an inquiry into a refused mixed-use development on the north side of Lewes.

This map shows the appeal site, the wildlife and trees along the River Ouse, the construction access, and nearby facilities. Use the key on the map to see what each colour means.

Proposed development at Phoenix Industrial Estate, North Street, Lewes, showing the red line site, wildlife and trees along the River Ouse, and the construction access on Phoenix Causeway

Appeal details

Status: Inquiry
Appeal reference: APP/Y9507/W/26/3361842
Site: Phoenix Industrial Estate, North Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2QJ
Proposal: Outline planning permission for a mixed-use redevelopment of about 4.8 hectares, with up to 120 homes, 1,200 square metres of workspace, a community hall, a riverside walk and public open space. Access would be from Phoenix Causeway.
Appellant: Ouse Valley Developments Ltd
Local planning authority: South Downs National Park Authority
Procedure: Public inquiry
Inquiry opens: 10am on Tuesday 6 October 2026
Decision expected: January 2027

Warning Do not send comments to the inspector. Send them to the case officer using the contact details on this page.

Inquiry timetable
Event	Date
Appeal received	3 June 2026
Questionnaire from the local planning authority	17 June 2026
Statements of case	15 July 2026
Proofs of evidence	8 September 2026
Inquiry opens, Lewes Town Hall	10am, 6 October 2026
Inquiry sitting days	6 to 10 October 2026
Inspector’s site visit	8 October 2026
Decision expected	January 2027

If you cannot use the map

This section describes the same area shown on the map, including the proposed development, roads, nearby facilities, wildlife and the effect on Lewes.

What the map shows

The image of the map uses the same colours as the interactive map.

Map key
On the map	What it shows
Red area with a red outline	The appeal site. This is the red line boundary of the proposed development at Phoenix Industrial Estate, between Phoenix Causeway and the River Ouse.
Green area with a green outline	Wildlife and trees along the River Ouse, including riverbank habitat and trees protected by a tree preservation order. On the interactive map this area is hatched.
Blue line	The proposed construction access. Heavy goods vehicles would use Phoenix Causeway (A26) from Malling Street to the site entrance.
Pins	The site entrance on Phoenix Causeway, plus nearby facilities: Waitrose and town shops, Pells Pool, South Malling Primary School, Lewes railway station, and Malling Down Nature Reserve. These are labelled on the interactive map.

Where the development is

The appeal site is the Phoenix Industrial Estate, also known as the North Street Quarter, on the north side of Lewes town centre.
It sits between Phoenix Causeway (A26) to the south, North Street and Phoenix Place through the site, and the River Ouse on the west.
Lewes Conservation Area adjoins the southern and western edges. The whole town is inside the South Downs National Park.
Malling Field recreation ground is on the east bank of the river, opposite the northern end of the site.
The Pells neighbourhood, including Pells Pool, lies immediately west of the riverbank wildlife area.

Roads and access

Roads around the appeal site
Road	What would change
Phoenix Causeway (A26)	Main construction access. Temporary traffic lights and a new site entrance would be used. Bus stops by Waitrose may be moved during the works.
Malling Street (A26)	Construction vehicles would approach from the A26 roundabout at Malling Street. Expect slower traffic at peak times.
North Street	Would be realigned through the new neighbourhood. Through-traffic would be limited once the development is occupied.
Phoenix Place	Would close to general traffic during demolition and rebuilding, except for site vehicles and people who live nearby.
Brooks Road	May take extra traffic heading to Tesco and the industrial units east of the river while Phoenix Causeway is restricted.
Eastgate Street and Little East Street	Town centre streets south of the causeway. Not proposed as a construction route. Pedestrian routes to the High Street would stay open.

Nearby facilities

Waitrose and Lewes town shops: Immediately south of Phoenix Causeway, about 50 metres from the site entrance. Shoppers on foot would use a controlled crossing. Some parking on the causeway would be suspended during the works.
Lewes railway station: About 650 metres south, around a 10-minute walk via Eastgate Street and Station Street. Services run to Brighton, London Victoria and Eastbourne. The appellant says most new residents would walk or use the train.
South Malling Church of England Primary and Nursery School: About 700 metres north on Church Lane. The local authority has said the 120 homes could mean around 30 extra primary-age children. No new school is proposed on the site.
Pells Pool: Historic freshwater lido west of the river, about 200 metres from the wildlife area. The proposal includes a new footbridge over the Ouse, which would make the pool easier to reach from the new homes.
Lewes Library: About 400 metres south in Styles Field. No change is proposed to the library.
GP services: The nearest GP practices are in the town centre and at School Hill. The appellant has not offered a new surgery. The integrated care board has asked for a contribution if the appeal is allowed.

Wildlife, trees and flooding

The green area on the map is the River Ouse corridor. It is a commuting route for otters and supports water voles, kingfishers and coarse fish.
Twelve mature London plane and lime trees on Phoenix Causeway are covered by a tree preservation order. The proposal would remove 4 of them to form the site entrance and keep 8, with 36 new trees planted on the riverside walk.
Malling Down Nature Reserve, east of the town, is chalk grassland in the South Downs National Park. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The development would not take land from the reserve, but more people walking there could put pressure on the grassland and on Adonis blue and chalkhill blue butterflies.
The site is in Flood Zones 2 and 3 beside the tidal Ouse. The proposal includes a riverside flood defence and raised finished floor levels.
Bats use the existing industrial buildings. Emergence surveys recorded common pipistrelle and soprano pipistrelle. Demolition would need a licence from Natural England.

Effect on Lewes and the surrounding area

Up to 120 homes, including 50% affordable housing, on a brownfield site inside the national park.
Loss of existing employment floorspace on the industrial estate. The appellant says replacement workspace would be provided on the ground floor of the new buildings.
Buildings of up to 5 storeys, which would be taller than most of historic Lewes. The inspector will consider the effect on views from Lewes Castle, Malling Down and the Cliffe High Street conservation area.
Construction is expected to last about 4 years if the appeal is allowed, with the noisiest demolition in the first 9 months. Working hours proposed are 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.
A new public riverside walk and footbridge would open the riverbank, which is currently fenced off as private industrial land.
The Pells and Cliffe neighbourhoods would see more people walking through, and more competition for GP appointments and primary school places.
Additional surface water would be held in underground tanks before it reaches the Ouse, to avoid increasing flood risk downstream towards Newhaven.

Contact the Planning Inspectorate

Use these details if you have already made a representation and want to speak at the inquiry, or if you need help with the appeal documents.

Case officer

Priya Shah, The Planning Inspectorate
Email: priya.shah@example.com
Telephone: 020 7946 0101
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (except public holidays)

Find out about call charges

Other people to contact about this appeal

Planning inspector

Dr Helen Okonkwo, The Planning Inspectorate
Email: helen.okonkwo@example.com
Telephone: 020 7946 0101
Contact through the case officer. Do not write to the inspector directly.

Principal planning officer

James Whitaker, South Downs National Park Authority
Email: james.whitaker@example.com
Telephone: 020 7946 0182
Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm (except public holidays)

Community liaison manager

Amira Begum, Ouse Valley Developments Ltd
Email: amira.begum@example.com
Telephone: 020 7946 0234
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm