Developers have gone to appeal after being refused permission to build 185 homes in a seaside town.

Bovis Homes Brickfast Limited were refused permission by Lewes District Council to build the homes on the site in Peacehaven despite planning officers backing the scheme.

The application had raised so much public debate, the council chose to hold a special meeting at Peacehaven Community Secondary School to discuss the plan. The development company wanted to build homes of varying sizes in the town, 23 west and 62 east of the sports park.

The project also included car parking and road access and off-site highway works on Arundel Road, Keymer Avenue and Seaview Avenue and the A259 South Coast Road.

The land was identified as suitable for housing development in Lewes District Council's local plan, adopted in 2003. Recently, another planning inspector rejected plans for homes on the site of the Brighton Motel in South Coast Road, Peacehaven. Developers wanted to build 74 homes but the planning inspector refused, saying no development would be permitted until traffic congestion on the A259 coast road was resolved.

Community activist John Hodgson, who set up Peacehaven Residents Opposed To Urban Development (Proud), hopes the precedent set by the Brighton Motel rejection will lead to a refusal for permission at appeal for the Bovis home development.

Mr Hodgson said: "We will be building our campaign for the appeal hearing on this fact.

"We are also writing to the town council that the public inquiry should be held in Peacehaven so we can marshall our forces, a citizens army."

Thursday, October 28, 2005