Developers whose original proposals for hundreds of co-living flats were turned down have submitted scaled down plans.
Kosy Co-living and Cross Stone Securities originally wanted to build 269 flats in the second phase of their village on the site of the Enterprise Point offices.
Co-living flats are designed in a similar way to student housing, with shared communal areas – although the developers say these flats would be for young professionals and no students would be allowed to live there.
The first phase, 83 flats on garages behind Machine Mart in Melbourne Street, already has permission.
The original second phase plans were rejected by councillors concerned at the scale of the blocks – as well as a lack of affordable housing.
Now, revised plans which reduce the number of flats to 221 by cutting the number of storeys on most of the blocks have been submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council.
In a covering letter, planner Lewis McArthur said: “The evolution of the plans for the Enterprise Point site has taken a considerable period of time, including a series of amendments and the production of additional supporting technical surveys.
“The previous application for development at the site was refused by the planning committee in March 2023 despite the proposals being recommended for approval by Brighton and Hove City Council officers.
“Since then, intensive work has been undertaken to consider afresh the concerns raised by the local community and members of the planning committee.
“This has involved additional engagement with local residents, local councillors and council officers. This process has resulted in the scheme being redesigned to ensure that its bulk and massing – and therefore its potential impact on existing nearby properties – has been significantly lessened.
“The number of units proposed has also been significantly reduced, leading to a less intensive form of development being proposed.”
The tallest block has been reduced from eight to seven storeys at its tallest point, and set back from Melbourne Street so it is further away from the existing Viaduct Lofts building.
Two of the other blocks have been reduced from six to five storeys.
The scheme also includes employment space, which has been increased from 940sqm to 1060 sqm.
Communal areas sounds like a grim way to live. They should just be either proper flats or proper student flats. Stop taking advantage of people in a stressed housing market.
I agree with Dave! Sounds pointless – pretty indicative of the grubby property system, – Shame that there’s nobody in politics with the guts or basic decency to do something positive.
How depressing 😞 it looks , James in like sardines, paper thin walls ..
No more flats!! They are everywhere ! And are changing the very nature of Brighton. The views, the sense of space, the light, the sense of community. Please stall the developers who are not really interested in nurturing or protecting anything but their own profit margins. New homes are important and some development is fine but this mindless building of blocks of flats is just awful.
No wonder with developments like this we have a shortage of school children to fill the school places.
We should be concentrating on more family orientated development.
They would not be out of place in Russia, during the Soviet era. Why does nearly every new building project in Brighton and Hove have to be so dreary? There is very little modern architecture of which we can be proud. So why add to the ghastliness of the place with such poor design? Everywhere you look now huge hideous blocks are going up, with no aesthetic consideration whatsoever given to any of them.
Co-living is a mistake for Brighton.
Despite the supposedly communal nature they actually only attract transitory professionals who have no connection to the city.
The whole of Brighton has always be transitory for 150 years ,there’s no old money and wages have always been to small for the rents. Not worth staying with kids anyway it’s a grim place.
Young Professionals. A student who is one day out of university. They even state this in one of their reports in the consultation. There is clear disdain for the councillors in their wording.
This HUGE over development is very disappointing and a step back for Brighton!
It’s only student accommodation disguised as something else.
Where is the affordable housing for the vulnerable and most in need??!
This does nothing to add towards BHCC housing strategy!!
It looks ugly and once again cramming huge numbers into a tiny one way street!! High rise buildings are changing this beautiful city into an ugly urban concrete jungle!!
I sincerely hope this application gets denied!!!
This amended application does nothing to alleviate concerns raised by the councillors, whose primary concerns were oversaturation, transient population, and affordability. Co-living is purely HMOs by another name, and it would not be unreasonable to expect the same issues with them.
Having looked through the documentation of the proposal, I also note there appears to be no mention of the additional pressure placed on health services, such as GP surgeries, which are currently stretched, having never really recovered from the mass retirement and subsequent closures of multiple practices over the years.
By their own figures, only the average person can afford these, which means that 50% of people won’t be able to afford “affordable” housing, which is only a percentage of that, even further reducing what is going to be applicable to all. Not to mention, no parking is available beyond a few disabled bays – their solution is that people will just have to not have a car, which like myself included, is untenable for most and against the BHCC City Development Plan.
There’s also some consideration needed for the Renter’s Reform Bill, and how that will affect this development specifically in regards to minimum decent home requirements, and to what standard is applied to them, particularly around HMO, and some clarification around those in receipt of benefit, which may include students depending on the wording, making it illegal to discriminate against this demographic. This may result in post-humourous increases in charges passed on to rents unfairly.
My nephew said that he lived in a co-living flat in Switzerland, which he found depressing. He said there were a mixture of people. Street drinkers not seen on the streets, all behind closed doors, but not great for co-living.
Sounds a little bit like one of my years at student dorms. Get a poor mix of people, and it’s not a good experience.
Why wasn’t there a campaign to block this development. Living in a tin can is not my idea of fun. These developers are crooks, changing the landscape. This TOWN and it is a TOWN has changed for the worse , over populated with rhe woke brigade, too many students. The place is a dump , who would want to live on the Lewes Road.
What has this got to do with the “Woke Brigade”? this is an example of capitalism at its worst – the exact opposite.
Let me give you some unsolicited advice, A. When you say things like the “Woke” you instantly demerit any point you were trying to make, because firstly you’re criticising someone for paying attention and participating in the world around them; you’re advocating ignorance. Secondly, most people will interpret you has not really having a substantive argument, and highlight you as something not worth listening to, even if your opinion is reasonable.
I hope you improve your articulation, it will serve you well, I promise.
A great example of greed in full effect. How the country is being ruined by putting profit above all else…