A double technical blunder in sending out notifications of controversial plans to build 125 homes on fields in Mile Oak has ended up boosting the number of objections after residents took it on themselves to do their own massive mailout.
A combination of a temperamental IT system and a broken envelope stuffing machine meant Brighton and Hove City Council sent multiple letters to some houses and none to others.
As a result, the deadline for comments on Crest Nicholson’s plans for 117 houses and eight flats on land off Overdown Rise and Mile Oak Road has been extended by a week to Friday, 9 December
And as of Tuesday, 106 objections had been registered on the council site, with 14 general comments and one brief letter of support.
The biggest concern of those objecting and commenting is the impact the scheme will have on roads around the site.
Neighbour Danielle Card, a member of the Leave Our Green Spaces group set up to oppose the scheme, said: “The council only sent out letters to the houses overlooking the site and they didn’t send them to every house. I received ten letters on the same day, but next door got none. The people who live right next to the site entrance didn’t receive any.
“Our local councillor Peter Atkinson photocopied 1,500 letters which we hand delivered ourselves to the whole of Mile Oak.
“The major issue is traffic because getting in and out of Mile Oak is an absolute nightmare. The developer conducted their traffic survey during the day when nobody’s around, but during rush hour you have to queue for half an hour to get off the A27.
“They say it won’t overlook people, but it’s at the back of people’s gardens and the access road means one person’s house will now be right on the road.”
A council spokesperson said: “We’d like to apologise to residents affected by this. Unfortunately technology let us down at every opportunity.
“The planning application handling system randomly generated multiple letters for some addresses.
“We are looking into why this happened and putting in place checks to make sure – as far as possible – that it doesn’t happen again.
“This situation was then compounded when the machine that folds and envelopes the letters also broke down, so not all letters were sent on the same day; hence some addresses receiving multiple letters and others that may not have received anything yet.”
Of the 125 homes, 75 will be sold at market value, with the remaining 50, including the flats, at ‘intermediate’ affordable value.
You might want to mention that it’s planned to be built on a green site of special scientific interest,with allotments also under threat.
Brighton and Hove needs more housing and there is plenty more green fields. Young people these days haven’t got a hope in hell of finding an affordable place to live and with rents in the area rocketing the homeless problem can only get worse. People sitting comfortably in their cosy houses are always the ones to complain. It’s a case of not on my doorstep.
It’s not so much the housing that people object to but the effect more people and cars will have on the area. The infrastructure needs to be considered not just houses within a community. No-one will be either sitting comfortably or cosy without plans for better roads in and out of the area. There needs to be provision for schools, doctors and road safety and policing etc. Otherwise it is only the developers who benefit.
“Of the 125 homes, 75 will be sold at market value, with the remaining 50, including the flats, at ‘intermediate’ affordable value.”
This is the same company who want to buy their way out of an affordable housing scheme in Brighton.
I have lived in mile oak for 41!years ! The population in mile oak is the correct size at this present time ! The schools , doctors and dentist are coping well , But with more occupants,I don’t think it would work . The roads can not cope from 7.30 to 8.30 in morning trying to get out and mile road floods with heavy rain ! And the parking around mile oak is poor , especially oakdene , now the co op is going a head at the pub !
The developer pays for new infrastructure it’s the council who don’t spend it properly or make the link for local people. Many road improvements, improvements to parks, to schools etc are paid for by developers (probably £1m or so on a scheme this size) yet no one knows. So to use lack of infrastructure as an reason to object doesn’t hold up. In my opinion.
An absolute joke, 125 homes that will be bought by out-of-towners on green fields in an an area of wildlife habitat of scientific interest. This county is being destroyed by unsustainable urban sprawl. There is no work in Mile Oak so everyone who is to live at this new housing project will commute. These fields would be of far more use as an amenity area of use to the public, a park where kids can play, dog walkers go and everyone can use it not just the priviliged who can afford to live there.
I don’t know why we are surprised it’s same old story the persons who have PLANNED this do not live in this area I’m so very sad to see more of our green belt disappearing god help you people mile oak road and chalky road is a joke now makes me so mad council!!!!i could go on but who am I as usual they don’t care about the family’s that live there .