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Lewes Town Partnership was established in 2003 as a company ltd
by guarantee. The Partnership currently has 6
Directors drawn from the Voluntary and Community Sector as
well as representatives from the statutory
sector. We have a growing membership from across Lewes town.
How to get involved
• The partnership welcomes involvement
and representation from local groups or businesses with an interest
to share and a commitment to making improvements in the town.
Members receive briefings and invitations to events. If you would
like to join the Lewes Town Partnership either as an individual
or as the representative of a Lewes-based organisation, please
e-mail: lewes@southdownscvs.org.uk
or phone Kim Lanning on 01273 483832.
Achievements so far
In 2006 the Partnership carried out a Market
Town Health Check. This aimed to gather baseline data about the
town and included a survey to find out what people think of its
services and amenities. Here is a summary of the key findings:
• Integration of rural areas with the
town – lack of public transport from the villages into Lewes
for shopping and medical appointments
• Congestion in Lewes town
• Parking - cost, number of parking spaces, more disabled
parking spaces and more spaces for residents and visitors were
all highlighted as a concern.
• Local jobs – the barrier stopping people for gaining
access to work, employment or study was a lack of local jobs and
not having the right type of experience.
• The main health services which respondents found lacking
or inadequate were Dentistry services and A and E services.
• In terms of crime, the majority of respondents appeared
fairly content with the police in stating that they thought crime
was neither at a high or a low.
• Leisure facilities were generally rated as good. Interestingly
the majority of respondents wished to see more cycling facilities
with more bike hire and more off road bridleways and cycle tracks
into the countryside
• Recycling was an important issue, with half of respondents
claiming that more recycling facilities were needed.
• Tourism is an area which needs further work; there is
limited information available in terms of number of tourists entering
Lewes each year and how much tourism brings to the town.
• A general theme to responses was a real urgency to keep
the town’s historical nature and manage development.
Do you agree with these results? Let us have
your comments by e-mailing us on: lewes@southdownscvs.org.uk
Current Lewes Town Partnership Projects
• Tree pruning and cultivation of fruit
trees: working a) with schools to maintain and maximize the produce
from community orchards and b) with local people to advise on
looking after fruit trees in back gardens.
• Car park signs: working with the District Council to make
it easier for visitors coming into the town to find places to
park.
• Shops’ potted histories: each shop to have a window
poster with information about their shop over the years, starting
with the High Street.
• Farmers’ market signs: fixed signs at town borders
to show when farmers’ markets are held.
Future plans
• Currently under discussion is the formation
of a sub-group to discuss training initiatives – with the
possibility of tapping into SEEDA funding for small rural market
towns in the future.
• Lewes Town Partnership will have a stall at the Societies
Fair on 14th July 2007.
• An open meeting is planned for the autumn – more
details to follow.
Lewes Town Partnership
Directors:
• John Webber, Transition Town Lewes http://transitiontowns.org/Lewes/Lewes
• Rosey Eggar, Lewes District Volunteer Action www.ldva.org.uk/
• Katherine Rayner, Common Cause www.commoncause.org.uk/
• Robert Cheesman, Friends of Lewes www.friends-of-lewes.org.uk
• Ruth O’Keefe, Lewes Small Gardens
Statutory
representatives:
• Owen Clifford, Lewes District Council www.lewes.gov.uk
• Councillor Ann De Vecchi, Lewes District Council www.lewes.gov.uk
• Councillor Merlin Milner, Lewes Town Council www.lewes-tc.gov.uk
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