Royal Mail hit back at criticism of Patcham development plan

Residents in Patcham have campaigned against the development at the Patcham Court Farm site, warning of the impact it could have on the city’s water supply and traffic in the village.

More than 1,000 people have objected to the plans during a council consultation, with Green candidate for Brighton Pavilion Sian Berry also calling for the development to be axed.

Ms Berry said: “Local residents and experts have been absolutely clear that Royal Mail’s plans for Patcham need to be scrapped.

“What Royal Mail are suggesting will be bad for business for our city and will exacerbate problems now and into the future.”

However, Royal Mail have said they have “listened to feedback from residents” and have made amendments to their proposal, which includes changing the proposed entrance to the site.

The change will see HGVs enter via the A27 Patcham interchange and vehicles will only be able to exit via a right turn, “preventing them from entering and exiting Patcham”.

More protections for an aquifer, as well as added trees and plant life to reduce the building’s visual impact, have also been included in the amended proposal.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “We are paying firm attention to the concerns raised and strongly encourage anyone with questions to please visit royalmailpatcham.co.uk, which includes information on many of the issues raised and the work we have done to resolve them, as well as contact details.

“This proposed development is a large investment and an excellent opportunity to create a new, environmentally friendly and purpose-built delivery office, which will greatly improve working conditions for our staff, safeguard 360 jobs in Brighton and Hove and improve the efficiency of our deliveries.

“At the same time, moving to Patcham would free up two large central Brighton and Hove sites allocated for mixed-use and housing development in the council’s city plan.”