Information is Key

During the Local Plan Process we will be looking to share as much information with our stakeholders as possible, both in person and using other forms of communication, but this website will be the primary source of information and will be updated regularly.

Why Brownfield isn’t the answer

Personal Perspectives from the Housing Crisis -
Lewes and the South East

Downloads

About North Barnes Farm

  • There is a shortage of homes in Lewes and East Sussex. Suitable and affordable housing is in short supply, and it’s more difficult than ever for local people to find a decent home in the area.

    Since 2000, the median average price of a house in Lewes District Council has increased from 4.81x to 11.6x of an average household income, pricing many people out of the housing market. There’s a shortage of affordable homes too, with only a limited number of properties at below market rent or available for shared ownership.

    Young families are particularly badly affected, being unable to find suitable and affordable homes in places they want to live and raise their families. Many people in rural areas, and local towns, are living in unsuitable accommodation, with no prospect of being able to find something that meets their needs.

    There is also a shortage of high quality, affordable workspace for local businesses to develop and grow, which impacts the local economy.

    All this means that local young people are forced out of the area to find homes and jobs.

    Our plan, which delivers up to 40% affordable homes and local jobs, will help fix this.

  • North Barnes Farm is suitable, available, and deliverable.

    It can accommodate a new community, ensuring that homes are delivered in walkable neighbourhoods, alongside all the infrastructure the community needs to flourish. It is also close to rail links, supporting sustainable transport.

    Crucially, North Barnes Farm has a landowner, Eton College, committed to ensuring development happens the right way, rejecting short term profits in favour of lasting community wellbeing.

  • A walkable neighbourhood is one where residents’ everyday needs are met within walking and cycling distance from their homes, including new shops, schools, workplaces and open spaces. Our plan for North Barnes farm is for a place where the car is secondary to the human, and walking or cycling can and will be the first choice for residents as they go about their daily lives and everyday errands. Our buildings will be designed around walkable neighbourhoods that provide a mix of everyday amenities complemented by a larger town square and centre.

  • There’s just not enough brownfield land to fix the housing crisis.

    In the south east of England, there’s only enough brownfield land to accommodate 22% of our housing needs over the next 15 years and in Lewes, there’s only enough brownfield land for 12.7% of the local housing need up to 2040 with the majority only suitable for new flats. In the district, outside the National Park, the biggest and most suitable brownfield sites have already been used or allocated for redevelopment.

    We need to use the right greenfield land for development. The choice we have is between building extensions to existing towns and villages, which can’t deliver extensive infrastructure, or creating a small market town with food and farming that secures jobs, facilities, and public services.

  • Our plan is the best way to deliver housing, jobs and green spaces. It is not a housing estate. It is a new small market town that will be a place where people really want to live; not just homes, but with schools, leisure facilities, shops and workplaces too.

    This is only possible by building a whole new community. Alternatives to a self-sustaining new settlement, such as building more smaller and dispersed developments in existing towns and villages, wouldn’t be able to generate anywhere near the same amount of investment in much needed infrastructure.

  • Our Partners are:

    A landowner, Eton College, with a strong sense of social responsibility, committed to long-term community stewardship

    Welbeck Land, experienced property professionals who have a passion for doing the right thing alongside the ability to deliver a major project

    Our Advisors are:

    The Plunkett Foundation, a charity that supports the development of community-owned business UK-wide, is offering advice to the partnership as to how this form of business could be utilised in the context of a new development

    People and businesses with vision and conscience

    Local people who believe that there is a better way of solving our current problems

  • Without a new settlement, Lewes District would need to find another way to meet its housing needs, which are set by the Government. The alternative is to increase development on the edges of existing towns and villages. This would provide some houses to meet local needs, but wouldn’t create the same level of investment in jobs and facilities.

    We will do things the right way by delivering plentiful infrastructure, green spaces, sustainable transport options and amenities. Our plan will support food and farming and deliver plentiful useable open spaces.

The proposals

  • We’re planning to create jobs and services within North Barnes Farm, so that residents won’t need to leave the community, or even get in a car, for most day-to-day needs. This includes employment, retail, healthcare and education.

    While North Barnes Farm will be built on the principle of walkable neighbourhoods, where we’ll make it easy not to take the car for everyday activities, we’ll also invest in greener public transport, including improved bus and train services for when it’s needed. We’re confident that people will be able to move about by walking, cycling and public transport for most journeys.

    Our plan for a self-sustaining small market town minimises traffic impact on local roads, especially local lanes around North Barnes Farm.

  • Our site is poor quality agricultural land and, like so much of the farmed land across the UK, is relatively ecologically barren due to modern methods of farming. Our plans will significantly enhance biodiversity and create new habitats for a range of species. 60% of North Barnes Farm will be given over to green space.

    The farm has been worked using 20th century farming methods for many years. This has resulted in the loss of hedgerows and trees over the years, as farm machinery has required larger fields and access points. It has also been subject to the use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers.

    We can improve the quality of the soils and the habitats through ecological management, and by planting trees, orchards and hedgerows that in turn will create better habitats for flora and fauna.  In particular, we will enhance existing pockets of ancient woodland with early tree planting.

    We’re committed to enhancing space for nature and biodiversity and North Barnes Farm. Biodiversity Net Gain is an approach to development, and/or land management, that aims to leave the natural environment in a measurably better state that it was beforehand. Our Biodiversity Net Gain will be 30%, significantly above the statutory requirement of 10%.

  • Our plans include extensive open land. Overall, 60% of our small new market town will be given over to green spaces, including:

  • We can support the fight against climate change through our plans. We’re proud that, through careful planning, North Barnes Farm will be operationally net zero carbon by 2050.

    We are currently looking at opportunities for use of local building materials, on-site energy generation, on-site waste management, sustainable drainage and water management, sustainable transport, and regenerative farming techniques.

    Crucially, we’ll make it easy not to take the car for everyday trips, through walkable neighbourhoods and local services.

  • We’re carefully considering the landscape impacts of our plans and are in close contact with all the relevant local authorities. Although North Barnes Farm is outside of the South Downs National Park, we want to make sure that our small new market town is an attractive addition to the landscape. To achieve this, we’re assessing the best places for the location of buildings and the use of natural, local materials.

    Through careful landscape improvements, including buffers of trees at particularly sensitive locations, through having green corridors running throughout the site, and through careful management of lighting, we believe that we can create a settlement that will sit comfortably within the existing landscape and enhance wildlife and habitats.

  • We will create a local food hub by integrating smallholdings, community orchards, allotments and growing spaces throughout the small town. By championing and supporting local food production through the North Barnes Farm Partnership, approximately 37% of all the fruit and vegetable requirements of households can be met on site.

    We will give over large parts of the site to regenerative farming, where food production is managed in a way that enhances the environment as well as allowing efficient growing of crops and livestock for the local population and providing significant employment opportunities, training and well-being initiatives.

  • We’re working with the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust and other local organisations to manage and improve the biodiversity and quality of the Bevern Stream. The stream will be carefully considered in our plans to support habitats, linking in with our wider plan to boost nature.

Housing

  • Yes. We need to build more homes to help tackle the housing crisis. Up to 40% of the homes in our small new market town will be Affordable Homes, increasing supply and tackling the shortages which drive up prices and waiting lists.

  • North Barnes Farm will be a mixed age community. We’ll build the mix of homes needed to meet the needs of an entire community. This includes homes for first time buyers, family homes, affordable housing and properties to downsize into.

  • We want North Barnes Farm to help reduce Britain’s climate impacts, so our homes will be built to the highest energy efficiency standards. We’re embedding carbon reduction through all elements of our plans and will also go above and beyond policy requirements in minimising embodied carbon.

    We have one eye on the future and are considering integration of emerging technologies in our plans, which will have the potential to further improve the sustainability of North Barnes Farm. For example, modular housing and modern methods of construction (MMC), micro-grids and vertical farming, will all be considered for inclusion in our plans as their credentials are established.

Creating a community

  • Our plan for North Barnes Farm is for a small market town with food and farming which supports people of all ages to enjoy a fulfilled and affordable quality of life on site, with investment in plentiful infrastructure, green spaces, sustainable transport options, schools and amenities. Our plans to deliver a place where people truly want to live include 3 hectares of public allotments, 12 hectares of small holdings, 6 hectares of orchard planting, 13 hectares for education, sport and recreation, and 11 hectares of parkland and play areas.

    As well as our dedicated green space, buildings at North Barnes Farm will be designed around walkable neighbourhoods that provide a mix of everyday amenities complemented by a larger town square and centre with independent shops on the high-street and in the town centres, supported and championed by our Partnership.

  • The North Barnes Farm Partnership is in this for the long term. We believe that development and housebuilding shouldn’t just be about extracting value. It must be about creating a legacy and social values for the widest group of people, whilst protecting and enhancing the environment for generations to come.

    We’re committed to ongoing stewardship of the development, where the principles of our plans will be embedded in the management of the small new market town in perpetuity. This is made possible through having a legacy landowner, Eton College, that is committed to the values of the proposals. Additionally, our Advisors at the Plunkett Foundation are experts in supporting community businesses, ensuring they are sustainable for the long term.

  • Schools are incredibly important in shaping a new community. We are currently in early discussions with East Sussex County Council regarding the likely education provision required to support a small market town. It is envisaged that, as a minimum, early years facilities and primary schools will be provided on-site, and our masterplan for North Barnes Farm also provides space for secondary through school, meaning that North Barnes Farm can provide quality education opportunities from early years to the end of school.

  • Item descriptionIt’s in everyone’s interest to make sure that North Barnes Farm is built with all the infrastructure needed to flourish. We can’t create long term community value without it.

    All the infrastructure we create will be secured through legal agreements, making sure that there’s a clear plan to deliver every part of our proposals.

  • Our stewardship model will underpin the delivery and management of North Barnes Farm, safeguarding community ownership, ensuring the success of independent businesses across the community and maintaining community infrastructure for the enjoyment of all.

    Through community ownership, sustainable infrastructure, and Eton College’s commitment to stewardship, we will ensure that North Barnes Farm remains a thriving community for decades to come.