Plans to demolish building next to the Prince Albert in Brighton submitted

Patricia Camping, of Camping’s Luxury Coaches, who owns the land at 47 Trafalgar Street, Brighton, wants to demolish the dilapidated structure and put a four-storey building comprising commercial space and two holiday lets in its place.

The site, which sits next to the Grade II listed Prince Albert pub, has remained empty since car and van rental company Thrifty moved out.

According to planning documents the ground floor would include an “entrance courtyard, lobby and accessible cycle storage”.

Nine commercial units would also be created from the basement to the second floor and two holiday lets on the third floor with a roof terrace.

The application’s planning statement said the proposed development would replace the “unattractive” building that is “harmful” to the area with a “contemporary” building that will generate employment.

Plans would see the building demolished

It said the proposed commercial and holiday let uses would be “entirely in keeping with the character of the surrounding area” and the introduction of a commercial premises and residential and holiday lets would also “reduce noise and disturbance associated with the existing operations associated with the previous use”.

The applicants incorporated feedback gathered during a pre-application process into the design submission.

The planning statement said: “The building is of no architectural merit and is harmful to the setting of the conservation area.

“The site is identified in the North Laine Conservation Area study as particularly detracting from the character of the existing building is harmful to the setting of the conservation area and the adjoining public house.

The site is next to the Prince Albert pub in Trafalgar Street

“The proposed scheme includes a demolition of the existing shed and the provision of a high-quality contemporary replacement which also nods to the traditional design, vernacular and rhythm of the adjacent buildings through the fenestration spacing and arrangement in addition to mansard roof and parapet wall which steps down to follow the slope of the street.

“Overall, the proposed redevelopment would inject significant investment into the site, would remove an existing harmful building which has been identified for redevelopment for a number of years and would deliver a sympathetically designed replacement building.”