New homes to be part-built in Germany

A planning application has been made for a combination of two and three bedroom homes and commercial space on the land to the west of the former Clayhill Nurseries in Malling Street.

The majority of the construction of the buildings, including some plumbing and door frames, is built in and assembled in German brought to the UK in an articulated lorry.

The developer, Blue Sonic, has said this greatly reduces the construction time and carbon footprint in the UK.

On Tuesday evening representatives from Blue Sonic discussed the proposal with councillors from Lewes Town Council, who welcomed the reduction in construction but one councillor criticised the height of one of the blocks of flats and called for more energy saving measures to be added to the homes.

Cllr Merlin Milner said: 'One of those blocks is extremely high and completely wastes the roof space.

'It's also a shame you couldn't put in heat pumps or solar panels without having to wait for the punters to put that in themselves.'

The final decision on the application will be made by Lewes District Council.