Controversial proposals to build a retirement living complex in Eastbourne have been approved by town planners.
On Tuesday (September 17), Eastbourne Borough Council’s planning committee granted permission to build 126 “apartments for older people” on land to the east of Martinique Way in Sovereign Harbour.
Alternative versions of the scheme had been considered by the committee on two previous occasions in the past six months, with councillors having chosen to defer their previous decisions due to concerns about its size and impact on the surrounding area.
Developer Untold Living submitted revised plans following each deferral, reducing the size of the proposed scheme each time. The initial plans, considered by the committee in March, had been for 137 apartments, with the first revision reducing the number of units to 128.
The reduced number of apartments in the latest version of the plans came alongside other changes to the complex’s design, including a reduction in the massing of one of its buildings and an increase in off-street parking spaces (from 70 to 75).
While the latest revisions were considered to be acceptable by the planning committee, objectors remained concerned about the scale of the building.
Speaking at the hearing, Frances Lawrence, chairwoman of the Sovereign Harbour Residents Association, argued the changes did not go far enough to address residents’ concerns. She said: “At the last meeting the instruction was clear; you asked for a reduction in the scale of the building and a reduction in the number of units.
“Untold Living came back with a reduction of two … and have done nothing significant to amend the scale of the buildings. They are the same height and density and it is an affront to the councillors who made it clear what was required.
“Looking at the bigger picture, we see yet another retirement complex being proposed that simply doesn’t serve the needs of the town. The purchase costs and extremely high service and care package costs will effectively lock out local retirees.”
Similar concerns were raised by ward councillor Kshama Shore (Con), who argued the overall scheme should be made up of no more than 85 apartments.
Ultimately, however, committee members felt the latest revisions were acceptable and opted to grant planning permission.
The committee’s decision was made contingent on officers carrying out further consultation with East Sussex County Council on landscape and ecology matters. This consultation could result in further conditions, the committee heard.
Planning permission was also made contingent on the developer signing a legal agreement with the council, which would secure a local labour agreement and financial contributions towards local transport. The legal agreement would also limit occupancy of the apartments to those over the age of 55-years-old and prevent the apartments being used as second homes.
For further information on the proposals see application reference 230847 on the Eastbourne Borough Council website.
