Write to South Downs National Park, and insist that they don't approve the redevelopment of the bus station - unless and until we have a new one.

There's a lot of talk around town about the bus station, and a bit of confusion about what's actually going on. With your help, we can make sure we don't lose a bus station altogether.

The Park is providing pre-planning-application advice to a developer who wants to demolish it and replace it with a block of 50 flats.

The site has been allocated for development in the South Downs Local Plan. Therefore calls to save the existing bus station are likely to fail since, even if the Park refuses permission to demolish it, a developer would be able to appeal to central government.

Fortunately the Park's own Local Plan also says that redevelopment can only go ahead if there is an attractive, operationally satisfactory and equally-convenient site provided elsewhere.

Unfortunately the Park's advice to the developer on this has been too vague - and we're concerned that Lewes could end up no bus station at all.

Wait, hang on - I've already signed a petition to save the bus station!

You've probably already signed a petition or two to "save the bus station" (thank you - it shows the strength of feeling about this in the community). However - the National Park are not legally required to consider petitions.

They are legally required to take into account emails or submissions made to their planning portal. Neither the Park nor the developer will be able to ignore hundreds of objections posted against their pre-application! So please - do take the time to submit a response.  

What's the detail?

The Park's own Local Plan policy SD57 (here) says that "alternative uses on the bus station site are subject to the facility being replaced by an operationally satisfactory and accessible site elsewhere" and that "redevelopment is acceptable, providing that attractive, operationally satisfactory interchange facilities for passengers are provided on a site elsewhere of equal convenience in this sector of the town".

And the Lewes Neighbourhood Plan is committed to "ensuring a bus station with public facilities continues to be provided in a central location" (policy AM2, here).

But so far the Park haven't made this requirement absolutely clear to the developer; the pre-application documents just include a note that 'consideration needs to be given to the relocation of the bus stops'. We don't think this is anywhere near strong enough. So together we need to show the Park the strength of feeling and insist that they fully enforce their policies.

To make sure Lewes will not be without a bus station, I and other Green Party District Councillors have written to the National Park demanding that they: