Client: Terracotta Properties

Lewes is a charming market town commanding a gap in the South Downs near Brighton. This Masterplan proposes to regenerate a low-lying district beside the River Ouse which contains areas, including an outdated industrial estate, devastated by the severe floods of October 2000. The project proposes new flood defences to protect a new mixed use quarter including modern workspace, hotel, cinema, shops and restaurants together with both market and affordable housing. It is planned to extend the existing street network, some around new ‘twittens’, Lewes’s unique medieval lane system, and carefully organise the townscape to frame views of Lewes Castle. Rather than turn its back on the river, as now, the proposal takes full advantage of the riverside environment including a new cross-river pedestrian link.