Henry Adams sells significant site at Lewes, East Sussex

Henry Adams has announced the sale of 25 acres of development land at Old Malling Farm in Lewes, East Sussex, where completion took place in February 2023.  The site was marketed by Henry Adams development land team in Spring of 2022. Informal tenders were invited for the freehold, following which an unconditional sale was agreed with Man GPM, the private markets business of Man Group. 

The prime residential development site at Old Malling Farm is the largest allocation in the South Downs National Park Local Plan. It is currently open agricultural land which benefits from an Outline Planning Permission for 226 dwellings of which 215 homes are single family houses. There is a 50% affordable housing requirement and the scheme will achieve the net-zero operational carbon standard. 

The UK has experienced a significant, long-term mismatch between supply and demand in the housing market, which has led to an affordability crisis impacting households earning the median income and below. Man GPM’s community housing team is focused on deploying institutional capital to build new homes with the aim of generating positive returns for investors and delivering a demonstrable social and environmental impact.

Martin Curry, Partner and head of development land agency at Henry Adams, said, “The land at Old Malling Farm is just on the outskirts of Lewes so it’s a well-connected and convenient location. Congratulations to Man GPM on its acquisition. They’ve been a pleasure to work with on behalf of our clients. We now look forward to seeing the scheme progress to provide much-needed new homes for the area.”

Simon Boakes, Consultant at Henry Adams, led the initial land sale negotiations and managed subsequent progress to the completion of a complex transaction. Simon commented, “A residential development site in Lewes and in the South Downs National Park of this size is a rare commodity. There is a fantastic opportunity here for Man GPM to create a superb place and new community for people to live.”

Henry Adams development land agency specialises in the acquisition and disposal of residential development land throughout the South East. They also offer professional services covering strategic land, development consultancy, and town planning. In addition, Henry Adams Simply New Homes is one of the largest new homes agencies in the region. 

These specialist land and new homes departments are based in the Henry Adams Chichester head office, to provide a complete service to landowners and housebuilders requiring comprehensive development advice, from land transactions to final key handover.