Brighton Beach lockers are approved at Sea Lanes

The four lockers were placed next to the former Peter Pan’s Playground site, in Madeira Drive, by Sea Lanes, the outdoor swimming pool operator, without planning permission.

A nearby resident and former councillor Roy Pennington objected to a retrospective planning application for the lockers.

At Hove Town Hall he spelt out his concerns to Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee.

Mr Pennington said that pedestrian access across the Volk’s Railway track, through a gate next to the site, was too dangerous and this was not mentioned in the report to the committee.

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He said: “There will be a significant increase in footfall if this application is approved. It would not be difficult or costly to repair and improve the pedestrian gate.”

Brighton Surf Life Saving Club (BSLSC) chair David Samuel spoke in support of the application because one of the lockers stores the club’s life-saving equipment, including 70 boards, rescue tubes and first aid mannequins.

The club has 256 members and became homeless two years ago, having been based at Brighton Sailing Club for 15 years. It has been working with the council to find a long-term base since 2005.

Mr Samuel said: “Sea Lanes very graciously stepped forward and offered us some temporary accommodation in shipping containers. They offered us a lifeline we gratefully received.

“They realised they had the former storage units, then intended to rebuild as like for like, and they offered to build those for us to allow the storage, without which the club had to fold.”

He said that neither Sea Lanes nor BSLSC realised that they needed planning permission as they were speaking with the council about the move and replacing what had been there since 2018.

Councillors were torn over granting temporary planning permission for 10 years while the Sea Lanes pool was in place.

Labour councillor Liz Loughran, who chairs the Planning Committee, voted against granting permission for the lockers because she was concerned about the visual impact on the grade 2* listed Madeira Terraces.

She said: “We’ve heard evidence this afternoon that there is public benefit in terms of the life-saving equipment stored in these lockers.

“But my hesitation or reluctance to support the planning application is that I think the 10-year period is too long. I don’t think that’s a temporary period. I’ve not heard of a temporary period lasting for such a long duration.”

Conservative councillor Carol Theobald said: “I do hope the containers will be maintained, not left in a state. Perhaps in the future, we’ll look into the access to the area for disabled people.

“This club is excellent for our city. We should support this because this is what we need in our city by the sea.”

The plans passed by five votes to four.