High rise flats in Hove expected to be given green light

Plans to build a range of housing blocks up to 15 storeys high, a retirement village, office space, shops and a health centre are being recommended for approval .

Council officers are advising councillors that the plans for the Sackville Trading Estate site in Hove should be given the green light this week.

The 581 build to rent flats are a mix of 114 studios, 203 one-bedroom, 241 two-bedroom and 33 three-bedroom flats.

There are also ten live/work units proposed for the site in Poynter Road.

The retirement village, referred to as a ‘care community’, is a mix of 29 one bedroom and 231 two-bedroom homes with communal facilities.

As well as the homes, 3,899 square metres of flexible office space,  671 square metres for retail plus a multi-functional health and wellbeing centre  taking up 946 square metres is planned.

There are 186 objections to the plans and 16 comments of support on Brighton and Hove City Council’s website.

Concerns raised by people in the area include the height of the proposed buildings, the small size of the flats and the impact of more traffic on Sackville Road.

One commenter on the city council’s website, whose details are redacted said: “It’s insane. An out of town development I saw in Cheshire when I lived there had 600 houses for which they added a dual carriageway for access – not a single access on to an already gridlocked city street.

“This is insane – make it smaller, get two accesses (use compulsory purchase on one of the businesses behind to access Newtown Road, and reduce the number of parking spaces.”

Another neighbour wrote: “The only entrance into the proposed development is from Sackville Road, which is already overused, busy and dangerous.

“Works traffic using only this entrance will make the situation worse in relation to safety, traffic and pollution in an already heavily populated area.

“The current road system, which has been upgraded recently, will not be fit for purpose.”

In the report going before councillors the authority’s transport team says it is satisfied with a comparison between the plans and traffic at the existing trading estate.

Officers said: “Overall the proposal is considered to result in a reduced number of vehicular trips in comparison to the fully occupied site whilst there would be a significant increase in trips by sustainable modes (pedestrians / cyclists / public transport).”

A resident in the Artist Corner area, which covers Leighton Road, Frith Road, Pointer Road, Princep Road, and Sackville Road said: “What is proposed is too large for the size of the site and too intensive.

“Key issues about its impact have not been considered and provided for in the plans as currently set out by the developers. Especially parking and road safety.

“Parking in the Artist Corner area is already at a premium, with many residents frequently unable to park near their houses in the evening.

“The certainty of over-flow of cars from this very intensive development will have a significant impact on current residents, many of whom have small children.”

Developer MODA Living, which specialises in building for private rental homes, is working in partnership with the site’s owner Coal Pension Properties Ltd.

There are 289 spaces proposed on the site with 74 for the retirement village, nine for the shops and community spaces, four for the health centre, 45 for the offices and 157 for residents.

Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum, Hove Civic Society and Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership are all for the scheme.

In its letter the station forum said: “The forum welcomes the mixed use approach which combines 581 new build to rent homes and 260 extra care homes with accommodation for 480 jobs and a range of community facilities.

“MODA responded creatively to the forum’s view that there should be maximum public access to the community facilities and high quality public realm (including play spaces and squares which are not gated) which would benefit residents in adjacent neighbourhoods.”

The forum praised MODA for engaging with the community during its consultation phase.

It had also asked for a higher proportion of affordable homes after MODA originally offered eight per cent. This has since increased to ten per cent of homes for rent at 75 per cent of market rates.

The Hove Civic Society also welcomed the scheme.

It said: “The committee welcomes the proposed build to rent housing and older persons’ accommodation, that will meet an important housing need for the city.

“The committee also believes that the proposed employment uses including the work live units will be a major local asset.”

Should councillors grant planning permission all homes must be kept as built to rent for at least 15 years.

Ten per cent of the housing, nine studios, 20 one-bedroom, 26 two-bedroom and three of the three-bedroom flats would be rented at 75 per cent of market rates.

A developer contribution of £456,550 towards sustainable transport for a wide range of improvements and services in the area is included.

This would include early start spaces for cyclists at the junction of Neville Road, Old Shoreham Road and Sackville Road and changes to the traffic islands

There would also be improved pedestrian access along Clarendon Road, extra BTN Bike Share stations in the wider area and on-street cycle parking hangars in Artists Corner and Clarendon Road as well as one for 20 cycles in the development.

A bike user group should be established along with £150 towards buying a bike.

Other contributions include:

A £413,298.20 donations towards secondary school and sixth forms at Blatchington Mill and Hove Park Schools.

Public art worth £450,000 within the development or close to the site.

A recreation and sports contribution of £1,696,849.97 towards outdoor sports in the area’s parks, indoor sports at either Withdean or King Alfred leisure centres, children’s play areas and gardens at Hove Park and Stoneham Parks and allotments.

The plans will go before Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee on Wednesday.