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Why Lewes

Lewes District has a thriving economy with a rich heritage, strong community spirit, natural beauty and outstanding opportunities.

People love Lewes District for its rich and varied heritage, natural beauty, diverse arts, cultural scene and thriving towns. With over half of Lewes District lying in the South Downs National Park, chalk cliffs, unspoilt beaches, tranquil open spaces and beautiful countryside are plentiful. 

Most of the District’s 93,900 population live in the four main urban areas Seaford, Newhaven, Peacehaven and Lewes. The District is home to iconic buildings such as Lewes Castle, Newhaven Fort (a scheduled ancient monument), and Glyndebourne opera house, as well as brands including Harveys Brewery. A haven for entrepreneurs and large as well as small-scale enterprises.

The District includes varied economies - rural, coastal and urban. Lewes District extends inland from the coast over the South Downs and into the Sussex Weald covering 292 square kilometres. The town of Lewes is known for its radicalism and creativity, evident in its infamous bonfire night festivities - the biggest celebrated event of its kind in the world, which transforms the usually peaceful town into a carnival of energy, colour and celebration. Lewes launched its own currency to support its independent retailers and preserve the distinctive 'feel' of this unique town.

Read More +
Lewes District
Lewes District

In this section

Located nearby Gatwick and Brighton, Newhaven Port based in Lewes District acts as the international economic gateway of East Sussex.

‘Lewes is the perfect place. People are open-minded and willing to try new things.’
Daniel Tapper Beak Brewery
‘There was absolutely nothing in Brighton that matched our needs and we heard about potential space in Newhaven Enterprise Zone. It was significantly more affordable and just the right space we needed!’
Lesley Jeavons Jeavons Toffee

Lewes

Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, a historic town well connected by rail, road, air and sea. It is a short journey to Gatwick, the UK’s second busiest airport and an hour into London.

Newhaven

Newhaven, the county’s port town, sits between Brighton and Eastbourne and provides a vital trade and tourist link to mainland Europe with outstanding opportunities for economic growth.

Peacehaven

Set above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs the town of Peacehaven lies 9.7 km east of Brighton. Population 13,000 people and is located on fairly flat coastal land around 45m above sea level. 

Seaford

Seaford has a bustling town centre with a long stretch of shingle beach and home to 27,000 people. Seaford Head is the best place to enjoy spectacular views of the Seven Sisters and Cuckmere Valley. 

Travel Connectivity Travel Times

If you are looking for support to expand your business in Lewes District, then please Get in Touch.

Lewes: A Makers Economy

A surging hotbed of makers and crafts, Lewes is home to an international community of artists, designers and makers passionate about sustainable design and architecture, and has the highest number of registered creative businesses in East Sussex.

From blacksmiths to artists, Lewes District hosts a wide variety of multi-disciplinary companies and sole traders who have the skills and talent to create successful, award-winning businesses.

With a specialisation in creative joinery, Lewes District has seen the rise of bespoke builds from furniture to kitchens all the way to modular building construction such as Boutique Modern.

Artwave is the annual festival of artists and makers from Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven and surrounding villages. Open to all, it makes an inclusive, accessible and diverse experience for those taking part and visiting.

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Boutique Modern

Newhaven Town Deal - £19.3 million investment

A landmark deal for the town, the successful bid by the town has meant that it can fulfil the ongoing development and revitalisation of the town,

Following specific themes, Newhaven aims to be the southern gateway for the UK as the only port in East Sussex, add to the creation and growth of its industries, continue adding to its creative freedom in its makers, refocusing the retail and services offering at the heart of the community, and renewal of its maritime heritage as the river and sea meet.

To find out more, follow the link below.

Learn more

Newhaven maritime scheme - £12.68 million

As a part of the Levelling up Fund, Newhaven will be re-established as a maritime centre of excellence and support the local fishing industry.

Learn more

Space to Expand

Newhaven Enterprise Centre

Offering a wide range of flexible managed office space and workshops, from small units (140sqft) through to 500+sqft.

- Flexible terms
- Competitively priced
- Good transport links
- Free parking on-site

Visit the Website

Atelier Works - Creative Business Space

Atelier will provide up to 18,400 sq.ft. of flexible ‘B1’ creative spaces, suitable for use as studios, offices, making spaces.

Visit Website

Newhaven Enterprise Zone

With opportunities for bespoke development, business rate relief and no pre-application charges for planning enquiries, Newhaven is a place with great potential for businesses to succeed.

Newhaven offers substantial physical capacity for growth. Comprising eight sites, Newhaven Enterprise Zone covers approximately 79 hectares, offering space to house the region’s expanding high-growth businesses and excellent access to domestic and international markets.

London is just 90-minutes away by train and Brighton is only 30 minutes by car or train.

Newhaven is home to a growing and diverse economy with an emerging specialism in innovative, high-value growth sectors including offshore wind and marine engineering. Alongside this emerging specialism, Newhaven is also home to a large number of creative industries and innovative manufacturers.

Read More +
Newhaven Enterprise Zone

Who's here?

GMC Publications

Lewes

Publisher and distributor of thousands of books and magazines including Breathe sold in the UK in WHSmith, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

AYM

Lewes

Alie Mackintosh's Womenswear label. All garments are designed and made in Lewes. Double-layered body-con garments are worn by Kim Kardashian, Hailey Baldwin among others.

Read their story

Ridgeview Wine Estate

Ditchling

Placing English sparkling wines on the global stage, award-winning Ridgeview paved the way for global recognition of our thriving wine industry.

Read their story

DOLLY Clothing

Lewes

Founded in 2012 by Diana Uprichard. Sustainability is central to everything they do at DOLLY. Each garment is individually made from a small workshop using discarded fabrics & ends-of-rolls.

Studio Hardie

Lewes

Carpenter-maker-designer William Hardie, the well-known design presenter - the one with all the hats - on Channel 4;s George Clark's Amazing Spaces. 

Crafted in Lewes

Ringmer

Manufacturers & designers of bespoke residential furniture & architectural joinery, collaborating with high-end residential & corporate clients around the world.

Beak Brewery

Lewes

A growing independent brewery and taproom. They make everything from hop-forward IPAs and best bitters to saisons and imperial stouts

Earthy Timber

Plumtpon

Earthy Timber is a design-led workshop, producing exquisite, cutting-edge furniture.

Harveys Brewery

Lewes

Oldest independent brewery in Sussex. Its pubs and beers can be found throughout the south-east. 

Inglis Hall

Lewes

Inglis Hall balance traditional cabinet making with contemporary design, producing bespoke luxury Kitchens.

Read their story

Jeavons Toffee

Newhaven

An award-winning and only vegan toffee manufacturer in the UK, producing toffees, caramels, and chocolates. 

Read their story

Paul Cox

Newhaven

Paul Cox is an artist who creates bespoke sculptures for exhibitions as well as a range of affordable items for homes and gardens

Read their story

Surrey Nanosystems

Newhaven

Creators of Vantablack, the blackest material known to man, supports aerospace, electronics, defence industries and even the international art world.

Read their story

Quintessence Fragrances

Newhaven

Perfumers and creators of fragrances for other manufacturers. R&D fragrance design with global clients, producing over 100k kilos of fragrances a month.

Boutique Modern

Newhaven

Award-winning full-service modular building company. Offering in-house design, manufacture and installation services and specialist consultation.

Read their story

Burning Sky Brewery

Firle

Expert and experimental, Burning Sky offers a variety of unique and refreshing beers. 

Valet Pro

Newhaven

Developers of pH neutral car wash products and leaders in their field, they are a fast-growing manufacturer that ships worldwide based within the Newhaven Enterprise Zone.

Read their story

E:ON

Newhaven

The operations and maintenance base for E.ON's £1.3bn Rampion Offshore Wind Farm is in Newhaven. The wind farm is situated 13km off the Sussex coast.

Cheeky Wipes

Newhaven

Award-winning manufacturer of reusable baby wipes. 

Read their story

Case Study Spotlight

Beak Brewery - Brewing Success

The formerly nomadic Beak Brewery has found its permanent home in the cliffs near Lewes town centre. Creating ingenious, complex brews that sell out within hours of release, Beak Brewery now has a taproom and space to expand, secured with the help of Locate East Sussex.

Read the Full Story

Useful links

Lewes District Council Visit Lewes Newhaven Enterprise Zone Get in touch
For support and advice on how to progress your business goals get in touch and one of our team will contact you to discuss your needs.
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A hot chocolate revolution is sweeping the UK, and Knoops, from #EastSussex are leading the way.
Locate East Sussex were able to support Knoops with funding applications, securing a £25,000 loan for the expansion of their Hastings based factory.https://t.co/g4bV1OCQWS

— Locate East Sussex (@LocateESussex) March 14, 2022
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