Man writing on paper

Update from Parish Council meeting 8th July 2024

/in /by
Parish Council update from Councillor J Kerr
Parish Council meeting held on Monday 8th July
This meeting was attended by an almost full complement of councillors and there were no members of the public in attendance.
Two planning applications were under consideration
An alteration to a bay window at 28 Oldaker Road was given no objection.
However, one application was subject to further discussion – The variation to conditions of the plans for houses to rear of 45 Allington Road which the Parish Council objected on the grounds that there were concerns that the properties would no longer be 2/3 bedroom bungalows but 3/4 bedroom houses as a result of increasing the height of the properties. The addition of garages rather than car ports was also questioned. It was decided to write to the LDC with our comments.
The approval of the building of a property to the rear of 61A Allington Road was discussed having raised objections to this on previous occasions. The Parish Council has written to LDC questioning why this has been granted given that the application had not been referred to the LDC Planning Committee. A previous application on this site had been refused before on a number of grounds particularly on access to the property and impact on the adjacent school entrance.
It was agreed that Newick Bonfire Society could erect banners on the Green advertising their upcoming fete on Sunday 21st July 2024.
All financial matters were agreed.
The proposed works on Gold Bridge were discussed concerning investigations to be carried out by Balfour Beatty to further check the structure of the bridge with a view to lifting the weight limit, The planned closures are planned from Wednesday 17th July until Friday 19th July between 7pm and 6am. The Council agreed to liaise with East Sussex Highways and East Sussex Police to find out whether the work can be extended over a longer number of days over a shorter period of time to reduce impact of traffic through the village but unfortunately ESCC have confirmed that this is not possible.
Councillor M Thew then reported to the meeting on matters concerning Environment & Recreation. She reported that the Council are waiting for the outcome of both a planning and a funding application to LDC and the outcome of both would be known soon.
It was great to hear that the lease on the allotments in Cornwells Bank has been renewed for the next 5 years. So allotment holders can continue to cultivate their produce unhampered and is very encouraging for “growing your own” in Newick.
The cracks in the surface of the Skate Park were discussed and it was confirmed that the original contractors (Gravity) will look into this in the upcoming weeks, and it was confirmed any repairs will be take place under warranty.
It was agreed that the outcome of the resurfacing of parts of the play area at KGVPF was a great improvement. The two areas concerned were around the trampoline and the “Witches Hat” cone climber.
Councillor A Sippetts has agreed to don his cycling gear to once again check all the Fingerposts that we all enjoy as our lovely rural signposts and see if any need repairs or upgrading. For anyone who has not noticed these are the lovely black and white signs that can been seen throughout Newick. They have been in existence since 1697 as “direction pillars at cross highways” The height enabled stagecoach drivers to read without difficulty and are important for local identity.
Finally, Councillor B Whitlock reported that October will see the return of the exciting Twaddling Race night at Newick Village Hall so do get involved.
person standing in transportation vehicle

Bus Timetables

/in /by

A copy of the current compass local bus timetable (correct as at 24/04/24) can be found here.

Application for 27 homes south of Allington Road

/in /by

Newick Parish Council has received notice that an application for 27 homes from Rydon Homes Ltd. on the south side of Allington Road has been received by Lewes District Council. If you would like to view the plans and make a comment on them you have until Wednesday 24th April 2024 using the link below. To comment you simply agree to the terms and conditions on LDCs website and then do a search using LW/24/0217. This proposal will be of particular interest to residents who will remember the application for housing at Mitchelswood for 63 homes in 2014 (LW/14/0703) which went through multiple levels of appeal and was ultimately refused in 2021. This new application is for part of the land from that original application.  This site is numbered 16NW on the Land Availability  Assessment which Lewes District Council is using to identify developable sites for its emerging local plan.  This site has again been rejected by LDC for the same reasons that it was refused in 2021.

 

Simple Search (lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk)

Seedlings on black plastic pots

Newick Horticultural Society 2024 Programme of Events

/in /by

Newick Horticultural Society has published the list of all planned talks and events for 2024. These are in the online diary under ‘Upcoming Events’ on this website. Further information including how to become a member can be found here. 

Brown pencil on white printing paper

Local Plan Consultation

/in /by

Responding to the draft Lewes Local Plan

Newick Parish Council are so grateful for the tremendous support by over 350 residents at the open morning we hosted on January 6th. We now need all residents in the Parish to give their views directly to LDC in this formal consultation process – luckily the deadline for feedback to LDC has been slightly extended to Monday 19th February, so you have plenty of time.

The link for this is:

https://planningpolicyconsult.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/… However we are aware that this is a long and complicated task so if you only want to make a few comments on specific areas that’s fine! Any comments you have can be sent in by email to localplan@lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk or by letter to Lewes District Council, Town Hall, Grove Road Eastbourne, BN21 4UH

To remind you, here are some key points and questions posed by the Plan, and we have also added some of the main feedback you gave us:

Overall Housing Requirement

The number of houses currently suggested by the Government’s method of calculating the district’s housing need is based on old housing projections. Lewes District Council argues for a lower estimate of housing need based on the more up-to-date housing projections from the Office of National Statistics and local circumstances.

Do you agree with this approach?

For Newick, most of the potential sites in the village have been assessed by LDC and are currently deemed not sustainable for development. Is this reasonable? You told us that you wanted to remain a village and not turn into a town or to merge with North Chailey.

Homes for Everyone

The Plan emphasises on securing two-bedroom homes through new development and retaining smaller homes –Do you agree? You told us Newick needs starter and downsize homes and that ‘affordable homes’ can be beyond the reach of many in Newick.

The draft plan prioritises affordable homes with social rents and the ‘First homes scheme’ for those who cannot afford to buy their first home. Do you agree?

Infrastructure and Community Facilities

You told us that this was your biggest concern for Newick. You said that for example the schools, the public transport, the parking, the doctors, the sewage and water system, are either over capacity, broken or not fit for purpose. What would you like to see LDC doing to meet the need for infrastructure and community facilities?

Climate   Are there any further policies you would like to see included to respond to Climate Change?

Natural Environment

Does the Plan seek to sufficiently protect the landscape? Are there any further policies you would like to see included to protect and enhance our natural environment?

Water Theme
Are there any further policies you would like to see included to respond to water resources and water management?

Whatever your view on these and the other key points of the Plan, please tell LDC directly. The more replies LDC receive from us the more informed they will be!

Our local District Councillor Charlotte Keenan has been very vocal encouraging feedback and is keen to hear from any residents who have any questions or need clarification, before responding directly to LDC

 

A horse under cloudy sky

Twaddling night at the Village Hall

/in /by

Details of the next village hall fundraiser can be found here

Newick Parish Council icon

Annual Parish Meeting 2024

/in /by

Please come along to the Annual Parish Meeting held at the Village Hall on Wednesday 20th March 2024. Presentations will start at 7.30pm and there will be complimentary welcome drinks before hand. Details are here and the agenda is here.

 

A mix of bolt and nuts

Chailey Repair Cafe

/in /by

The dates for Chailey Repair cafe can be found here.

Man writing on paper

Marwaring Robertson Sound Survey 2023

/in /by

Newick Parish Council conducted a sound survey at Marwaring Robertson. It was agreed to conduct the survey over a period of five weeks. The survey started 31st July 2023, ending 3rd September 2023 and the results can be seen here.