The proposed sale of land in Patcham to the Royal Mail has been put on hold, Brighton and Hove City Council said today (Friday 29 July).
Senior councillors were due to decide whether to agree in principle that a long lease should be granted to the Royal Mail for Patcham Court Farm.
The Royal Mail has already submitted plans for a delivery office on the site which would lead to the closure of its premises in North Road, Brighton, and Denmark Villas, Hove.
The council said that it would not be able to build homes on those two sites but hoped that a deal could be struck through its joint venture with Hyde Housing.
The joint venture, known as Homes for Brighton and Hove, would have been given a four-month “exclusivity period” to come up with a deal for one or both sites.
The council and Hyde set up the joint venture with the aim of building a thousand homes – and for at least 40 per cent of them to be classed as “affordable”.
Some councillors and hundreds of neighbours have already objected to the Royal Mail’s plans for Patcham Court Farm.
Meanwhile, earlier this week Labour said that it was dismayed by the council’s approach to the deal and called for a pause and a firmer approach to talks with the Royal Mail.
The party said: “Labour councillors are disappointed with the Greens’ timid approach, which seeks to prioritise the short-term gains from selling off the family silverware over meeting the demands of residents and tackling the housing crisis head on – which means seizing every possible opportunity to build more genuinely affordable homes.
“The Labour group is clear that tackling the housing crisis and building more affordable homes for local people is central to our mission and it should be of vital importance to all councillors.
“Selling off council assets and land, without negotiating to extract sites in return to build affordable homes, is short-sighted and frankly a dereliction of duties to any party serious about addressing the housing need in Brighton and Hove.”
The council said: “A decision has been made to withdraw the reports on the sale of Patcham Court Farm that were due to be considered by councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council’s Policy and Resource Committee today.
“This is so that officers can continue to explore every viable option for housing on the sites being vacated by Royal Mail and councillors from all political groups can continue to listen to and respond to residents’ views.
“It’s imperative that councillors feel they have all the available information and options so that they can make an informed and fully considered decision about the future of Patcham Court Farm and securing Royal Mail jobs in the city. This will take more time to provide.”
