The Society has been following with interest The Phoenix development proposed for Lewes for over a year. We were lucky to have had a presentation from the developers Human Nature last November.
The Observer Guardian has published,17/3/24, an article on the scheme by Rowan Moore its Architecture Critic Open Link.
After nearly a year of consultation with the Planning Authority (South Downs National Park) the good news is that planning permission has been granted subject to agreement with the Highways Authority and a Section106 agreement.
The Announcement from Human Nature can be read here
The scheme will transform a 7.9-hectare brownfield site in the centre of Lewes which is within the South Downs National Park into the UK’s most sustainable neighbourhood.
The mixed-income, multi-tenure development will provide 685 homes (with 30% affordable – made up of 154 homes at local housing allowance levels and the remainder as First Homes), creating a place to start out in life and a place to stay.
The scheme deliberately prioritises people over cars, and will be a walkable, multi-use development. Upon completion it will be the UK’s largest timber-structure neighbourhood.
Human Nature intend it to be a blueprint for sustainable placemaking and social impact that can be deployed at scale.
Jonathan Smales, Founder and CEO of Human Nature has commented:
“The current mainstream model of development is catastrophic, baking in deeply unsustainable fabric, infrastructure and transport, fuelling the climate and nature crises; it also creates social divisions and exacerbates loneliness. We aim to show that living sustainably can be a joy, not an exercise in self-denial, made far easier by the design of neighbourhoods. We’re working with an amazing team, bringing together best practices in sustainable design, urbanism and construction to provide a new breakthrough model with the Phoenix.
“Our focus on radically improving environmental and social impacts through the power of placemaking is uncommon in 21st-century Britain. But the result won’t feel unfamiliar, rather a return to traditions we’ve forgotten: a place of elegantly designed buildings made using local materials, streets safe for children to play in, with most daily needs met within a short walk and where it’s easy to meet and socialise with your neighbours.”
The scheme has many features that Guildford should consider for some of its schemes notably, good public consultation, modern building techniques, proper prioritsation of pedestrians over cars, and good design including heat pumps for heating and cooling.
Please see our previous posts on this innovative scheme below.
Progress by the Phoenix Project Lewes View article
The Society organised a presentation from Human Nature the developers of The Phoenix Scheme, which is seeking permission to create a new neighbourhood on a 7.9HA site on the banks of the River Ouse, in the centre of Lewes. The Phoenix aims... View article
Innovative Eco Friendly Regeneration - U... View article
Human Nature was founded by Jonathan Smales and Michael Manolson who were directors and international trustees of Greenpeace in the 1980s. Post Greenpeace they consulted widely, as Human Nature, with major businesses, investors... View article
Guildford Society Aims and Objectives View article
Although the aims and objectives of the Guildford Society have not changed, it is appropriate periodically to highlight areas the Society is concentrating on.
Reminder of our Aims and Objectives
We are the Guildford Civic Society... View article
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