Barcombe Parish Council

15/06/2026

*Reminder*

Please don't forget to send in an objection to the Village Hall development before the end of June - all the information needed can be found on the Barcombe Parish Council Facebook feed.

Also, don't forget to complete the transport survey. This will provide very important evidence linked to the Village Hall development.
https://forms.gle/J3nqjBHHbFgXoTyE6

Linked to this, is there anyone who would be prepared to keep a travel diary for a week?

We need you to take part!!

11/06/2026

The Rights of Way team tell us that Red Bridge (below the Village Hall) should be back in action by the end of this Friday 🙂

09/06/2026

Here is the link to the planning portal in case the QR code doesn't work for you.
https://planningpa.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TCT29JJDFWM00&fbclid=IwY2xjawSVUPxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeslGR7kaptJva-Kjyw8hnN0q3pxVwRQTkJkukMHvbc7SUH5YeyJBBfI2oDtI_aem_ZMzdmSzMHl9gTkFkz0PBbA

09/06/2026

Great news - nearly 150 people have now lodged their objection to the development at the Village Hall - but we still need more of you to do this. The process is really easy and probably won't take more than half an hour. Use the QR code to take yourself straight into the right page and use the points bellow to help you outline why you think this is a bad idea. Please share to friends and other local groups.
Proposed development at the Village Hall – Planning application LW/26/0181
The Parish Council believes that this development will be detrimental for Barcombe. If you feel the same, it is important that we all communicate this to Lewes District Council (LDC) by the end of June (deadline extended). Please use these notes and your own thoughts to complete your objection.
• A key objection relates to the viability of the hall itself if the view is interrupted. Currently weddings are held there as well as yoga, dance and sound bath sessions, all of which rely on the view to draw bookings. The withdrawal of these, especially during the construction phase, would severely compromise the financial viability of the hall.
• The hall plays an important part in village life, providing a venue for the local nursery school, groups and clubs and private parties. The village is proud of this award winning resource and values it.
• We are all aware that there is a tendency for people to exceed the 30 mph limit when they cross the village boundary at the Village Hall. This raises safety concerns as we will have access points at the Blackcurrant Field, the Village Hall, Mongers Mead, Barcombe Place AND the new development. This needs to be considered carefully, especially as nursery school children are being delivered to the hall every day.
• Public transport services are poor for the village which means new residents will inevitably drive cars, putting pressure on the rural roads making this an unsustainable location for housing, contrary to national and local planning policies.
• LDC/central Govt have already approved 107 houses in the village (Hillside – 26, Blackcurrant Field – 70, Bridgelands – 6, Camoys Court Farm - outline permission for 5 houses). Approving this development would take that up to 132. Currently there are approx. 450 dwellings in the parish. This would increase the number by almost a quarter. The combined scale of expansion is disproportionate to the historic form and population of the village.
• No changes to local amenities are planned (i.e school places, road infrastructure, Drs surgery, bus services) and as a result, pressure upon existing services will increase.
• The proposed site lies outside the Barcombe Cross boundary and the application would effectively mean building in the countryside, contrary to national policies and Lewes council’s spatial strategy in the new Local Plan. This boundary is important for defining the rural edge and landscape setting of the village.
Use the QR code below to directly access the LDC planning portal to make your comments. Click on ‘comments’ and fill in your points.
For further advice go to Barcombeparish.gov.uk/planning/planning help/How to comment on a planning application. Your comments are important and could make all the difference!

09/06/2026

Please complete our transport survey. This information could help the Parish Council to build a strong objection to the Village Hall development. It will take approximately 90 seconds.

In order to collate clear evidence against the Village Hall development, we need up to date information about people's transport needs and uses. Please support us in defending the village from development which will harm the community. And please complete this as soon as you can - closing before the...

06/06/2026

A message from the Rights of Way team at LDC regarding the bridge over the Ouse at Barcombe Mills.

The replacement of this bridge needs requires Environment Agency (EA) permission via their Flood Risk Assessment Process (FRAP). Due to the setting and the size of the bridge, the replacement will be more complex than usual and this will be one of the largest projects carried out by my team in recent years.

We had hoped to secure FRAP permission from the EA early this summer, which would allow us to instruct our contractor to fabricate and install the new bridge. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for EA approval and, given that we need dry ground to install the bridge, there is only likely to be a narrow weather window for us to carry out this work this year.

As you know, Barcombe Mills is very low-lying and flood prone, so it is likely that the ground on site will become too wet in the early autumn to allow bridge replacement. If EA permissions are further delayed and we cannot install the bridge this summer, then we would look to replace the bridge in summer 2027.

We realise that the potential delay to the bridge work and the extended closure of this path will be a disappointment to local residents. Thankfully, there are a number of alternative paths in the vicinity.

03/06/2026

Here is the link that takes you directly into the planning portal comments section for the Village Hall development - in case you are struggling with the QR code.

02/06/2026

Please follow this link to join the 'Protect Our Village Hall' whatsapp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/JvP8uDUymSm4Iu0JaVHqxa
The aim of this group is to create a database that allows the Parish Council to communicate easily with large numbers of people on the issue of this development. In order to collate strong evidence, we will also ask you to respond to a transport survey. We may also ask you to donate money in a crowdfunding effort to support legal costs should this case go to appeal. This group will allow us to do this. It is important that we get as many people as possible to join this group, so please spread the word and invite others to join. At the moment we have over 70 objections registered but there needs to be a lot more. We understand that people may want to keep their WhatsApp groups to a minimum, but this one is important. Thank you

02/06/2026

Great news - over 70 people have now lodged their objection to the development at the Village Hall - but we need more of you to do this. The process is really easy and probably won't take more than half an hour. Use the QR code to take yourself straight into the right page and use the points bellow to help you outline why you think this is a bad idea. Please share to friends and other local groups.

Proposed development at the Village Hall – Planning application LW/26/0181
The Parish Council believes that this development will be detrimental for Barcombe. If you feel the same, it is important that we all communicate this to Lewes District Council (LDC) by the end of June (deadline extended). Please use these notes and your own thoughts to complete your objection.
• A key objection relates to the viability of the hall itself if the view is interrupted. Currently weddings are held there as well as yoga, dance and sound bath sessions, all of which rely on the view to draw bookings. The withdrawal of these, especially during the construction phase, would severely compromise the financial viability of the hall.
• The hall plays an important part in village life, providing a venue for the local nursery school, groups and clubs and private parties. The village is proud of this award winning resource and values it.
• We are all aware that there is a tendency for people to exceed the 30 mph limit when they cross the village boundary at the Village Hall. This raises safety concerns as we will have access points at the Blackcurrant Field, the Village Hall, Mongers Mead, Barcombe Place AND the new development. This needs to be considered carefully, especially as nursery school children are being delivered to the hall every day.
• Public transport services are poor for the village which means new residents will inevitably drive cars, putting pressure on the rural roads making this an unsustainable location for housing, contrary to national and local planning policies.
• LDC/central Govt have already approved 107 houses in the village (Hillside – 26, Blackcurrant Field – 70, Bridgelands – 6, Camoys Court Farm - outline permission for 5 houses). Approving this development would take that up to 132. Currently there are approx. 450 dwellings in the parish. This would increase the number by almost a quarter. The combined scale of expansion is disproportionate to the historic form and population of the village.
• No changes to local amenities are planned (i.e school places, road infrastructure, Drs surgery, bus services) and as a result, pressure upon existing services will increase.
• The proposed site lies outside the Barcombe Cross boundary and the application would effectively mean building in the countryside, contrary to national policies and Lewes council’s spatial strategy in the new Local Plan. This boundary is important for defining the rural edge and landscape setting of the village.
Use the QR code below to directly access the LDC planning portal to make your comments. Click on ‘comments’ and fill in your points.
For further advice go to Barcombeparish.gov.uk/planning/planning help/How to comment on a planning application. Your comments are important and could make all the difference!

31/05/2026

Remember that Pete the Pond and other interesting wildlife talks from the Eco Fair are available at Greenbarcombe.org