Purpose

Declaring the land parcels surplus to the operational requirements of the Council and disposing of them to the developer (subject to conditions for the highway land and the developer entering into a Section 278 Agreement) enables the Council to facilitate the regeneration of a strategic brownfield site in Lewes. The exact extent of East Sussex County Council land to be disposed of could not be confirmed at the point of the Lead Member meeting, as the specification of the proposed new bus shelters and bus layby had not been confirmed. Delegated authority was given to the Chief Operating Officer to confirm the final terms, to facilitate the effective disposal.

Decision

In March 2025, the Lead Member gave approval to the disposal of ESCC land holdings associated with the North Street Quarter development, subject to a number of conditions. More information is now available regarding the extent of the landholdings to be disposed of to the developer. The Chief Operating Officer has determined the boundary and the terms of sale in line with Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972.

Alternative options considered

The decision follows the Lead Member decision in March 2025 to declare the land parcels surplus to the requirements of the Council. If planning is not consented for the scheme, then the land parcels will not be disposed of to the developer.

The parcels cannot be sold to an alternative third party as that would further disaggregate the site. Disposing of the landholdings mean that, when development of North Street Quarter is brought forward, benefits for the wider community will be realised, including new homes, employment opportunities, flood defence works and the provision of a new bus layby and associated infrastructure. Therefore, not disposing of the landholdings was discounted an alternative option.