Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour can start to feel comfortably numb during heatwaves as his bid for air conditioning units has been approved.
The rock star and his novelist wife Polly Sansom are building a three-storey home on the site of Medina House in King’s Esplanade on Hove seafront.
The home is currently under construction after receiving planning permission in 2017 but the couple sought to amend their plans.
The changes approved by Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Committee include different windows, minor changes to the walls, metal cladding and alterations to the roof by adding air conditioning units, removing solar panels and adding a satellite dish.
There will be more bricks in the walls as narrow opaque windows will be removed.
Councillor Daniel Yates criticised the loss of photovoltaic panels, which generate electricity. He said that developments should make things better, not introduce improvements and take them away.
He said: “The sustainability policy is for planning applications to impact positively on sustainability but this variation is to impact negatively.
“It’s a backward step as there’s a loss of photovoltaic panels, which is a loss of energy production, and at the same time there’s the increased energy consumption of two air conditioning units.”
Councillor Yates said that he would have supported the application if it had come forward originally but did not like changes making it “less good”.
He said: “I would rather they cared more about saving the earth and dealing with global warming than for their personal cooling.
“Overall I broadly support this. It is just a shame it’s not as good.”
Green councillor Siriol Hugh-Jones described the loss of photovoltaic panels as “regrettable” but supported the application.
Conservative councillor Carol Theobald said was not happy about the changes to metal cladding on the dormers but supported the application.
She said: “This is a very nice design and it will greatly improve the seafront.”
Seven councillors voted for the application with Green councillor Martin Osborne voting against it.
Its looking good.What an improvement to this once derelict squat.People who live on the Kings Esplanade are blessed with proximity to the sea and not being overlooked by other buildings.Also access to the best pizzas and ice creams in Sussex.Medina House will look amazing when finished.Wish I could afford to live there.Nothing to do with the fact that probably the best guitarist in the world also lives there.
I would love to have seen more of the original buildings retained but, given their long neglect before being bought by Dave Gilmour and Polly Samson, it’s good to see something going up that appears to have style and character.