Many people may not be aware that Rodmell has a Conservation Area Action Plan. As this was approved by Lewes District Council back in 2007 it is somewhat out of date, so the Parish Council intends to apply to the SDNP to have the plan updated. Whist much of the village remains as it has been for many years there have been some very important changes since 2007, including the closure of the working forge and of the primary school; having an up-to-date Action Plan could help to influence future changes to the village which such events could bring about.
The creation of the South Downs National Park in 2010 gave the village the highest level of protection of its ‘natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage’, and references to the local plan proved particularly helpful in resisting the recent glamping application as, with no proposed development sites allocated for Rodmell, and therefore with no village boundary, the development was considered as being in the countryside and could only be permitted under very limited circumstances.
We hope that we shall be able to update our plan before too long, but meanwhile you can find the existing Action Plan here:
https://www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/_resources/assets/inline/full/0/259003.pdf#
