The pages of The Cape Gazette are always sprinkled with articles and letters about development, zoning and planning. In the 17 years I have lived in Lewes, the community's attention to these issues has marked it as a community sensitive to the need to create a sustainable environment to preserve its quality of life.
Recently there have been many articles and letters relating to development in the vicinity of New Road. Many commenters focus on the potential sale of church property to a developer or the issue of zoning or the need for local government to be part of the solution. There are so many issues to be considered that I believe we need to take a step back and consider the wider, longer view, as well.
When I moved to Lewes, the canal featured a derelict boatyard. It is now a vibrant waterfront park. Its creation was sensitive to the environment, and it supports wonderful civic functions. It began with a civic sense that something needed to be done; the sense developed into a vision; and the vision struggled over time to become a reality. The details - perplexing, expensive and contentious - were worked through patiently by the visionaries involved.
Today I see New Road and its environs as analogous to that derelict boatyard. The matter of whether development is appropriate for the wetlands is one issue, but there are others. New Road needs to be more accommodating to the pedestrian traffic, including wheelchairs.
We need to consider the fate of the animals now endangered by this narrow road.
We need, in fact, to develop an overall vision of a sustainable and ecologically appropriate future. And for that we need to step back and find our vision, working forward from that with patience and good will. As citizens of Lewes, we are all in this together.
Bob and Lis Haggett
Pilottown Village
Lewes
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