WHY: VALUES, PURPOSE & POLICY

“This country is creating some of the best places to live in the world. But it’s too rare. We must do so far more often for the betterment of our neighbours, for the advancement of our economy and for the delicacy with which we tread upon the planet.”

Michael Gove Secretary of State for DLUHC

Eminent architect Graham Morrison, a member of the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) Design Review Panel, asked of an early design for a part of the scheme: “what are the ‘duties and obligations’ of these buildings?” The following chapters of the DAS seek to respond to this elegant question as if it has been asked of the whole scheme.

What are the ‘duties and obligations’ of the Phoenix?

2.1 PUBLIC PURPOSE & POLICY

2.1.1 Beyond Local

The Phoenix will be a global exemplar demonstrating compliance with international policy objectives and national and local commitments. Sustainability is at the heart of every facet of the project from concept, through planning to construction and everyday living. This chapter sets out the policy context for the Phoenix and how the proposal will comply with policy objectives.

2.1.2 National Policy Objectives

Sustainability goals and Net Zero

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by 193 UN member states at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in 2015. It provides an ambitious, globally-agreed, shared blueprint for the ‘world we want to see by 2030’ and is centred around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (also known as the Global Goals or SDGs).

The Government’s Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050. To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C –as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

The Phoenix will be a genuinely Net Zero development achieved through the range of initiatives, construction methodologies and management proposals outlined elsewhere in this document.

Levelling Up

The Government’s Levelling Up agenda aims to give everyone the opportunity to flourish. It means people everywhere living longer and more fulfilling lives, and benefitting from sustained rises in living standards and well-being. It seeks to preserve and enhance the economic, academic and cultural success of the UK while improving productivity, boosting economic growth, encouraging innovation, creating good jobs, enhancing educational attainment and renovating social and cultural fabric.

The Government is embracing the important recommendations of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission to make sure that good design reflecting community preferences is a key objective of the planning system. This includes the National Model Design Code and stronger national policy on the importance of good design.

The Phoenix adopts and reflects these principles which are articulated and demonstrated throughout the design, construction and operation of the development. Human Nature has recruited a team of leading designers to work on the plans in the DAS and develop bespoke proposals for each parcel of the scheme in relation to its adjacent edge and other landscape conditions.

Brownfield First

Government has set out strategies to make as much use as possible of previously-developed or ‘brownfield’ land and recognises the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements for homes and other identified needs, as well as exploiting opportunities to remediate despoiled, degraded, derelict, contaminated or unstable land.

Housing crisis

For over three decades, the UK has had lower rates of housebuilding (relative to population size) than any similar country for which comparable data is available. This is why the UK’s housing stock (when measured as the total residential floor space divided by the number of households) is now the smallest among comparable countries. There is an overall shortage of housing, and it is most pronounced in the areas such as Lewes where housing demand is highest it is where people who grew up here would like to stay (and live among and contribute to the community), but cannot because of the shortage of suitable and affordable homes. In the South East, there is not only a shortage of social housing, or private rented accommodation, or homes for first-time buyers generally, but an overall shortage of inexpensive housing across all tenures which has led to a systemic housing crisis.

There are long waiting lists for social housing; soaring rents and higher numbers of rogue landlords in the rental sector, and would-behomeowners are finding it more difficult to raise a deposit and access housing finance. Across all tenures demand is vastly higher than supply which causes the sale and rental costs of housing types to soar; underpinning this is the fact that housing costs have been rising more than is sustainable for decades, and successive governments have done little to address it –which means we’re now dealing with a housing emergency and a cost of living crisis at the same time.

Cost of living crisis

The annual rate of inflation reached 11.1% in October 2022, a 41-year high, affecting the affordability of goods and services for households. Global circumstances have also seen energy and commodity prices soar compounding the pressure on household budgets.

Increases in the costs of consumer goods, underpinned by strong demand from consumers and supply chain bottlenecks, have been factors causing rising inflation. Food prices have also been rising sharply over the past year. Another important driver of inflation is energy prices, with household energy tariffs and petrol costs increasing. From October 2021 to October 2022, domestic gas prices increased by 129% and domestic electricity prices by 66%. Gas prices increased to record levels after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and continued to rise during much of 2022 due to cuts in Russian supply. Electricity prices are linked to gas prices and have followed a similar trend.

Low-income households spend a larger proportion than average on energy and food, so are more affected by price increases. Food bank charities are reporting an increase in demand: the Trussell Trust reported that in April-September 2022 they provided almost 1.3 million emergency food parcels, a third more than in the same period in 2021 and 50% more than pre-pandemic levels. The local Emergency Food Network serving Lewes has been faced with unprecedented demand for its work. The Bank of England has been raising interest rates to try and lower the inflation rate below its 2% target. This has led to higher borrowing costs for households, notably on mortgage interest rates.

The Phoenix seeks to respond to each of these challenges by bringing a derelict, brownfield site back to life and providing an inclusive, sustainable new neighbourhood for Lewes that provides a range of housing including much needed affordable housing to meet the town’s needs.

2.1.3 National Planning Policy

The National Planning Policy Framework imposes a presumption in favour of sustainable development, defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is secured by seeking net gains across the three mutually-supportive pillars of planning policy: economic, social and environment.

A key feature of the NPPF underpinning all sustainable development is to make efficient and effective use of land, especially brownfield land opportunities, to protect precious greenfield land resources as far as possible. Where there is a shortage of land to meet identified housing needs, it is especially important that schemes avoid building at low densities, and ensure that developments make an optimal use of the potential of each site.

To support the Government’s objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes, it is important that a sufficient amount and variety of land can come forward where it is needed, that the needs of groups with specific housing requirements are addressed and that land with permission is developed without unnecessary delay.

National planning policy also emphasises a social responsibility for developers and local authorities, to support strong, vibrant and healthy communities, by ensuring that a sufficient number and range of homes can be provided to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by fostering well-designed, beautiful and safe places, with accessible services and open spaces that reflect current and future needs and support communities’ health, social and cultural wellbeing.

Great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues. The conservation and enhancement of wildlife and cultural heritage are also important considerations in these areas, and should be given great weight in National Parks.

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 Section 38(6) requires Local Planning Authorities to determine planning applications in accordance with the development plan, unless other material considerations indicate otherwise.