Alarm over ‘ridiculously high’ housing targets for Lewes district

Planning chief hears countryside campaigners’ concerns over unsustainable housing numbers.

Countryside campaigners raised the alarm about the impact of government housing targets on rural districts at a packed meeting in Lewes.

Members of the CPRE Sussex Lewes branch were joined by Cllr Laurence O’Connor, Lewes District Council cabinet member for planning, at their annual general meeting on Monday (17 July).

They said ‘undeliverable’ government targets were imposing unsustainable housing numbers on the district and were leading to the ‘exact opposite’ of levelling up.

CPRE Sussex wants local communities to have a greater say in deciding where new housing should go in their area.

The charity also wants to see local plans prioritising the types of housing needed to alleviate the housing crisis rather than just focusing on numbers.

Read: Press release Lewes Local Plan July 2023

Find out more about how the CPRE Sussex Lewes District group is fighting for sustainable development at cpresussex.org.uk/lewes