A seafront café could be demolished and replaced with a bigger building with indoor seating and a roof terrace.
The Meeting Place Café, in King’s Esplanade, Hove, currently has outdoor seating and plastic windbreaks, with no indoor space other than the kitchen and serving area.
The proposed 18ft tall single-storey replacement would have seating for 124 people – 88 inside and 36 on the roof terrace.
But – as happened with Rockwater further to the west – objectors have flagged up concerns about the lack of access to the roof for people with disabilities.
Hikmet Tabak, 61, director of The Meeting Place Limited, submitted the plans to Brighton and Hove City Council, and said: “The proposal would replace the existing, somewhat dated and tired looking café.
“Although having a greater floor area, the development will remove the outdoor seating area on the west of the café.
“This area is surrounded by plastic windbreaks, which together with tables, chairs and parasols, amount to an incongruous and unattractive addition to the streetscape.”
Beach Access Team Brighton and Hove (BAT), a group campaigning for improved beach access for disabled people, was among a number of objectors to criticise the lack of a lift.
The group said: “BAT objects to the development on the grounds of lack of access to the upper-level roof terrace for those with limited mobility.
“The developer has not included a Changing Places toilet which would benefit many disabled people who need such facilities.
“The nearest public seafront Changing Places is either at the new Shelter Hall, or further east at the Volks Colonnade or, to the west … 10+ miles away in Worthing.”
Other comments in favour of the scheme also raised concerns about the inaccessible roof terrace.
A commenter, whose details were redacted by the council, said: “I support the idea of redevelopment. I am generally in favour of the design. I do feel that it should be possible to include a small lift in the space to make it more accessible.
“As long as it is possible to access for most people, then I’m all for it.”
Another commenter, whose details were also redacted, said: “This new building looks really ugly and is completely out of keeping with the seafront.
“It’s far too big and will overshadow the Peace Statue. It should be in keeping with this beautiful piece of Brighton history.
“I’m also really concerned about the lack of facilities for disabled people. I cannot comprehend how anyone could consider such a development without even thinking of putting in a lift or in other ways consider the needs of disabled people.”
Mr Tabak said that the new building would preserve the “important character of the conservation area”.
His agent, Luke Carter, from Lewis and Co Planning, said that the design complied with building control regulations.
Mr Carter said: “If planners feel it’s reasonable to insist on a passenger lift, then the planning committee can add a condition.
“It’s too small. There’s no inside seating. They’ve seen what happened to a scruffy café at Rockwater and want the same.
“We’ll build a modern café that’s more in keeping with Brighton seafront today, not something from the early nineties.”
My flat overlooks this cafe. I love the idea i hope it gets a alcohol license too.As long as access for disabled people is provided on the ground floor it includes them.We need this area developed. Rock water and Lex’s cafe just further down are doing really well and has brought life to the area.
In the planning image the new cafe seems to have been designed for very short people
The roof looks as though it has strayed from one of those sheds along the Old Shoreham Road.
As long as ‘disabled people’ have access to the ‘ground floor’ it includes them? Blimey so anyone with mobility issues is not entitled to enjoy the far superior ambience of the upper floor? I sometimes wonder if I’m living in 2022 or 1922 with some commentators
Who owns the land?
Looks much better than the current place. Needs to be smartened up.
Loosing Hove’s traditional heritage for the sake of greed
The current building is knackered and those plastic windbreaks look awful. Time to replace it with a building fit for the next 100 years.
I hope there is going to be disabled access and cheap drinks so real locals can enjoy it
Just like present cafe, which looks cheap, nondescript, outdated and uninviting, it would be more appropriate as a country barn, not a cafe on the seafront. As for its design, it does not relate to anything on the site, least of all Embassy Court opposite. Or it could be something totally original, like the West Beach cafe on Littlehampton seafront. But then I suppose after the horror of having the i360 forced upon us, anything goes, with our planners and developers.
I think it’s supposed to echo the beach huts in design (green colour, roof line) but I’m not hugely impressed with it either.