Lewes District Council has been placed into special measures over its planning committee’s ‘quality of decision making’.
On Wednesday (May 8), the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced that Lewes District Council had been ‘designated’ under Section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
This means developers will now be able to submit major applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate, circumventing the local decision making process. This designation will remain in effect until the government decides to revoke it.
The decision has come in for significant criticism from the council’s political leadership.
In a joint statement, council leader Zoe Nicholson (Green) and cabinet member for planning Laurence O’Connor (Lab) said: “We are being punished by the government for defending the district against unwanted development, plain and simple.
“With this decision, the government has launched a full-frontal attack on the views of local people and the communities they live in.
“This council has stood up against housebuilders and their pursuit of profit in our district, rejecting planning applications that would turn green space into concrete and offer next to nothing for local people in real need of a home.
“And in response, Michael Gove has handed the keys to the district to any developer looking to make a fast buck.
“We’ve always been proud and grateful for the way so many parish and town councils engaged in the planning process and produced excellent neighbourhood plans. These plans were created by residents to ensure the best for their communities, but they are now being penalised for following the government’s own instructions.”
Lewes MP Maria Caulfield (Con) took a different view.
Ms Caulfield said: “It is extremely disappointing that the Lib Dems, Greens and Labour on LDC’s planning committee have failed in their duty to the residents of Lewes District. Their lack of a local plan means housing development across Seaford, Newhaven and Lewes is being dictated by developers and not building the housing we need locally.
“With developers now able to go direct to the planning inspector, this will only exacerbate the problem but it is clear that the council has no functioning planning department and that the coalition of chaos of the Greens, Lib Dems and Labour are failing the people of the Lewes District.
“They need to get their Local Plan in place so we can protect our green spaces from development once and for all. I hope that they will now work with the government on their action plan so that the planning department can be improved as quickly as possible.”
In its declaration, the government said its decision was based on a two-year period leading up to March 2023. This period was before the last local elections in Lewes, which took place in May 2023.
For the majority of that period, the planning committee was made up of five Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats, two Greens, one Labour councillor and an Independent. A Conservative councillor was also chairman of the committee at that time — a position which comes with a casting vote to break deadlocks.
During that time there were 40 major planning applications submitted to the council, of which 18 went to appeal. Out of these 18 appeals, the council’s decisions were overturned in 13 cases.
A DLUHC spokesperson said: “We are taking the necessary action to ensure local communities can benefit from a reliable, efficient and fair planning system.
“We are working with Lewes District Council to improve their performance so the designation can be lifted as soon as possible.”
