A proposal to replace “outdated” industrial buildings with flats and commercial units are recommended for approval in a planning application due before councillors next week.
Martin Homes has applied for planning permission to demolish two buildings at Saxon Works, behind 303-305 Portland Road, Hove, and replace them with a five-storey block of flats and a three-storey commercial building.
The company, owned by David Martin, 59, was refused permission to demolish six semi-detached houses at 295-305 Portland Road in October 2020.
The company wanted to put up two buildings, three and four storeys high, containing 47 flats in total and 1,650 square metres of commercial space.
Martin Homes also owns the neighbouring Martello Lofts where some residents have complained about unfinished work.
More than 70 objections to the latest scheme have been sent to Brighton and Hove City Council, with concerns including the design, overlooking, increased traffic and lack of affordable housing.
One commenter, whose details were redacted by the council, said: “The local area infrastructure is already at breaking point, with the addition of extra road traffic on a very tricky road junction, where over the years many road traffic accidents have happened.
“There are better locations for the extra homes. Olive Road/Portland Road is an emergency route and already congested.”
Another objector, whose details were also redacted, said: “The buildings will be out of scale and overshadow local housing. The traffic will still be impacted and the Olive Road junction is already busy and dangerous enough.
“There are already empty commercial units in the area so we do not need more. There is no evidence of affordable housing in the project.”
Martin Homes said that the site was an “outdated industrial building and redundant marketing suite”.
The company said that it wanted to put up “high-quality, sustainable residential and commercial buildings”, improving the street scene in Portland Road.
The application said: “The demographic of the area has changed considerably over the last decade due to an influx of young professionals and families, attracted by the quality of life in Brighton and Hove and the convenient commuter links to London from the nearby stations of Aldrington and Portslade.
“As a result, there has been a marked increase in residential demand and a consequent growth in commercial and retail development along Portland Road.”
The Planning Committee is due to meet at 2pm at Hove Town Hall on Wednesday 8 March. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
What will future guides to architecture have to write about with so many buildings now being off-the-peg things whose sections are merely slotted into place?
It’s now just a case of getting their Lego builds up asap to get the masses of poor-desperate people in to pay off their mortgages and enable the land pig’s to ‘invest’ in more characterless block’s…..an embarrassing age to be as live! That’s for sure, embarrassing in fact.
It’s now just a case of getting their Lego builds up asap to get the masses of poor-desperate people in to pay off their mortgages and enable the land pig’s to ‘invest’ in more characterless block’s…..