A decision on controversial plans by a Brighton company to build a huge apartment complex in Newhaven have been delayed.
Lewes District Council’s planning committee had been due to consider proposals to build 126 flats and duplexes – many within an 18-storey tower – on land in Beach Road, near to the entrance of Newhaven Port.
But yesterday (Wednesday 17 April), on the day of the meeting, planning officials changed their recommendation from approve to defer without discussion.
The change came in response to a request from the developer KSD Support Services. The company was concerned that the absence of final comments from East Sussex County Council highways team could “prejudice the consideration of the item”.
In light of this advice, the committee opted to defer their decision, meaning that the scheme is likely to be considered at a later date.
The proposed scheme had proven to be controversial with local residents, with the council having received 195 letters of objection before publication of the report to the committee.
Objections included a petition from Newhaven’s Liberal Democrats, signed by 187 people, saying: “While we welcome the development of brownfield sites, they must be in keeping with the rest of Newhaven and meet the town’s needs.
“The 18-storey tower will be higher than Nelson’s column and will completely change not just the local street scene but the whole of Newhaven.”
The petition added: “The previous plans would have delivered a fantastic opportunity but these plans offer nothing. There is no affordable housing offered in this development, there is not sufficient parking and there will be a major issue with over-development and shadowing.
“It would be fantastic if KSD would work with East Side residents and find a development that works for the community.
“We accept this is a brownfield site and we accept it should be used for housing but we don’t accept a tower that offers no affordable housing and will change the look of Newhaven’s skyline.”
Objections have also been raised by Newhaven Port and Properties Ltd. The company, which is the harbour authority responsible for maintaining the port, said that it owned a small part of the site and wanted to preserve its rights over the land.
While this land dispute would not prevent the grant of planning permission, it could mean that the scheme as applied for would not be feasible.
Planning permission was previously granted for a mixed-use scheme, including an 80-bedroom hotel, but this earlier scheme was not built.
The current application also includes commercial space.
For further information see application reference LW/23/0304 on the Lewes District Council website.
