Plans to build an 11-story apartment building on a corner plot in Portslade were called “ludicrous” because councilors refused to approve the project.
They refused the building permit due to concerns about the height and design of three proposed apartment buildings and the lack of parking spaces.
The project was offered by a real estate company, Luna Group, which is partly owned by former Brighton and Hove Albion striker Bobby Zamora and West Ham United skipper Mark Noble.
Zamora, 40, and Noble, 33, are also directors of the Luna Group which has applied for a building permit for a three-stage project from Brighton and Hove City Council.
What the development of Portslade could have looked like
The project has been described as a welcome redevelopment – in principle – of the brownfield site of Wellington Road and Camden Street in Portslade, across from Shoreham Harbor.
And, in a virtual council planning committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon, councilors grappled with the need for more housing on contaminated sites and the number of affordable housing.
Luna proposed that at least 54 of the 136 apartments be classified as “affordable” housing in accordance with the 40 percent required by council planning policies.
But advisers were concerned about the effect more than 100 new homes – and offices – would have on parking in the area.
The site includes the former Flexer Sacks factory and the corner where the troubled Harbor View pub once stood.
The land is currently occupied by Circle Studios, underground gymnasium, hand-held car wash, and parking.
In the first phase, Luna proposed to build an 11-story building on the corner site where the car wash is located. The block would contain offices and 65 apartments – 26 of them classified as “affordable”.
The plans for phases two and three included a nine-story block and a seven-story block, containing 71 homes in total and space for more office and recreation.
One objector, Simon Page, of St Andrew’s Road, Portslade, spoke on behalf of his neighbors, criticizing the proposed height of the buildings and the “poor design” which he said would not improve the character of the area.
He also raised concerns about parking, as the program would likely result in an additional 100 cars in an area already at “maximum capacity”.
Mr Page said he and his neighbors knew nothing about the app until a news article – which first appeared on the Brighton and Hove News website – advertised it. week before the meeting.
In addition to the two initial objections, 18 other objections were sent after the publication of the meeting documents.
Mark Noble and Bobby Zamora do business together
He said: “I live on St Andrew’s Road, right next to the industrial area, and as my neighbors have not been informed of this development. We did not receive any information in the form of letters or leaflets.
“The local survey of the area by a number of residents has yet to identify a single household out of more than 30 that has received letters or leaflets.
“Public notices have been posted on the semi-abandoned site which most residents do not need to visit and are difficult to see.”
Union adviser Les Hamilton said he spoke to locals and was not convinced any of the 2,000 leaflets allegedly sent reached homes.
The South Portslade councilor said the project was too tall and too dense. He cited the Joint Area Action Plan, a 15-year master plan to build more than 1,400 homes on land in the Shoreham Harbor area.
The plan was jointly approved by the council as well as the neighboring Adur District Council and West Sussex County Council.
Councilor Hamilton said: “The report indicates that the public benefits outweigh the conflicts in planning policy. In other words, planning policies are sacrificed. ”
He said the proposed system’s lack of parking would add to local problems. These were already on the verge of being exacerbated by a nearby joint venture project involving the Hyde Council and Housing Association.
Planning consultant David Williams, for Luna Group, said 30 people attended an exhibition hosted by the company in December 2019. An online consultation prompted six comments and 15 requests for additional information.
He said leaflets went to homes on St Andrew’s Road and further north to Franklin Road, west to St Peter’s Road and east to Erroll Road.
What does the Wellington Road site currently look like?
Mr Williams said: “The development of this brownfield site could be a catalyst for the regeneration of the South Portslade area.
“The app is not a badly designed speculative development. The site and other contaminated sites in the immediate vicinity are identified in the city’s plan to provide high-intensity mixed-use development to address the city’s five-year housing supply gap.
Conservative adviser Joe Miller supported the project because of the need for more houses and, in particular, affordable housing.
But, he said, he appreciated the stress on parking in the area, adding, “Personally, I quite like the design of the buildings. This is a huge improvement over what’s out there, which in my opinion is quite unsightly.
“I think this type of regeneration of industrial areas in Portslade or random blocks with replacement offices is also particularly welcome.”
Her Conservative colleague Carol Theobald said the scheme was “ridiculous”.
She said, “It’s a ridiculous height. We are not New York.
“This will affect other properties in the area from afar. They’ll see this big block setting there.
Councilor Theobald also said she was familiar with the area because she used to go to the Circle Health and Wellbeing at the site and was aware of the parking issues at the time.
Labor adviser Daniel Yates said he was torn because there was a need to revive the region.
Bobby Zamora was playing for The Albion
He said: “That’s not to say that in an area with such extreme parking stress – and where we know it’s highly unlikely that we can reach 100% of residents who don’t own or need parking. ‘bring a vehicle – we may consider allowing a development where there is no guarantee that the promised parking spaces allocated in the future will occur. ”
He was also concerned that people felt that a new community was “being abandoned” in the middle of an industrial area next to a community that had existed for over 100 years.
Independent Advisor Bridget Fishleigh said: “The issues we could use to deny this request could be the pre-request planning consultation, freeway issues, traffic generation as well as layout and density, design building and finishing materials.
“It looks really horrible and they should go back to the drawing board.”
The project was rejected by seven votes to two.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-06 11:25:00
