Today it is run-down, badly damaged in the great flood of 2000, but the future could be bright for the Phoenix industrial estate in Lewes.

Packham Developments has put together outline plans for a £60 million regeneration scheme, which includes residential and commercial buildings as well as flood defences.

In one of the biggest schemes proposed for Lewes, the project features 204 homes and 60,000 sq ft of commercial space.

The site was damaged when the Ouse burst its banks three years ago, flooding more than 400 homes in Lewes.

But the brothers behind the ambitious proposals, Bruno and Paolo Packham, who have carried out several successful projects in Brighton and Worthing, hope to avoid the risk of future flooding by placing the whole scheme on stilts.

Their outline plans also include flood defences, not only for the Phoenix area but also for neighbouring historic parts of Lewes further upstream.

The scheme also features a new footbridge across the river linking the development to the Malling recreation area and the Tesco superstore, as well as landscaping and the possibility of creating a wildlife haven and a riverside walk.

Existing businesses will be relocated elsewhere.

If Lewes District Council grants outline planning consent, more detailed plans will be drawn up for the riverside site - the drawings shown here are purely illustrative.

Architect Lap Chan said: "This is a great opportunity for the district council and the people of Lewes to create a flagship project providing a catalyst for regeneration which will deliver high design standards while respecting the history of the area."

Environmental adviser Micklemus Blackman said: "The Environment Agency and the district council do not have the funds to provide a flood defence for the area in the foreseeable future."

Developer Bruno Packham said: "This is the best chance for regeneration in Lewes."

He added initial consultations in Lewes had indicated strong support.

Wednesday June 18, 2003