In plans submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council, Hove-based developer ECH SPV Limited proposed 15 new two-bedroom flats in place of existing offices at the English Business Park, Hove.
Comments objecting to the application called the development “out of character for the area” and “not appropriate” for the business park. Concerns were also raised over the “potential increase in traffic” which could impact Hove Fire Station.
One comment reads: “The loss of commercial units will affect local employment.
“The quality of residential accommodation that will be created is below applicable standards and offers no amenity space to residents.
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“There is no provision in the application for storage of refuse or recycling associated with residential units.
“The existing facilities are only appropriate for commercial use.”
Another objector wrote: “All in all this is totally inappropriate and takes business away from the area, which surely, after Covid and the collapse of many people’s businesses and livelihoods the council want to avoid.”
The council’s officer report for refusal stated that the “location is considered incompatible with the carrying out of trade, business and other relevant land uses within the wider industrial estate”.
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It also said that the development would cause an “unacceptable highway safety impact” due to conflict between commercial vehicle movements, pedestrians and cyclists and that there is not enough in-built storage space.
The report also found that the application did not account for disabled access and not enough attention had been paid to the potential noise impact from the business park, namely the fire station and the wider industrial estate.
Cycle parking was also not proposed as part of the application.
A total of three applications were submitted to the council in July proposing the conversion of existing offices for residential use in units 10, 11 and 12 at the business park, as well as an additional two storeys on the units.
All three were refused between September 12 and 19.