Ridgeview Wine Estate expansion wins backing

A proposal to expand an East Sussex winery has been given the backing of county council planners.

On Wednesday (February 16), East Sussex County Council’s planning committee approved proposals to expand the Ridgeview Wine Estate, outside of Ditchling Common.

The proposals include both a new building (to serve an al fresco dining area) and an extension to the existing winery building.

Described as a ‘hospitality suite’, this extension would accommodate a wine tasting room, a small café and a retail area on the ground floor, with a meeting space and further tasting rooms on the floor above.

The proposals came to the county council committee as the site falls within the boundaries of both Lewes District Council and the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA).

The SDNPA approved its part of the application prior to the meeting, with its share of the development site containing the actual buildings.

As a result, county council planners focused on the winery’s access road through Fragbarrow Lane.

The committee heard the proposals would be expected to lead to an increase in traffic to the site, although it was not considered to be an ‘unacceptable’ increase.

However, this view was not shared by some local objectors, who feared the increased traffic would create safety issues in Fragbarrow Lane.

The committee had some sympathy for these concerns, but did not consider them sufficient grounds to refuse the application.

For further information see application reference ESCC/2020/002/CB on the East Sussex County Council website.