The government has turned down a request by campaigners to “call in” the Royal Mail’s planning application to build a distribution centre at Patcham Court Farm.
Resident Paul Mannix put together the “statement of case” before Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee approved the application, subject to conditions.
Mr Mannix, who dressed up as “Mr Poop” to protest against the scheme, has been campaigning for a halt to the raw sewage flooding Patcham’s streets.
He fears that the Royal Mail’s proposal will make the problem much worse.
There are four grounds to the request for a call in.
- Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework will require more housing in Brighton and Hove and the council should build social housing on the land rather than lease it to a private company.
- The application may have a significant long-term impact on economic growth and meeting housing needs across a wider area than a single local authority because Brighton and Hove has housed homeless people in Eastbourne and Newhaven.
- The application has national security implications, with the new Labour government having just called in the sale of the Royal Mail to Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky for possible links to Russia, and the application site is very sensitive because it sits on the Patcham aquifer that provides most of Brighton and Hove’s tap water.
- The application raises significant architectural and urban design issues because the Patcham Court Farm site is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and is designated by Brighton and Hove City Council as a green buffer zone for the Patcham Village residential heritage conservation area which contains a significant number of listed buildings and monuments.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that the decision to call in a planning application was only used “very selectively”.
A letter from civil servant Lorraine Gamble said: “The Secretary of State (Angela Rayner) has decided, having had regard to this policy, not to call in this application.
“She is satisfied that the application should be determined at local level.
“I appreciate that this is not the preferred outcome for you and I understand there will be disappointment as a result.
“It is, however, now for the council to determine this application.”
Mr Mannix has asked for the reasons behind the rejection and Patcham Against Royal Mail campaigners have vowed to find other ways to fight the decision.
That list of reasons is bizarre. They think selling the Royal Mail to a Czech businessman is going to mean the Russians will poison the water supply? What fantasy are they living in?
And the “architecture” and “heritage” is certainly not up in that part of Patcham…
The bit about Brighton’s housing requirements is part of the reason to move the Royal Mail out of the town centre. They will build houses on the old offices in places people actually want to live. No one would want to live on that old farm that backs onto the main road due to the traffic noise.
That list is such a NIMBY self centred list.
The fists in the air in this photograph is distasteful
Agree. Aligning themselves with Donald Trump is an odd move to garner support.
Donald trump? That’s not what that is… Donald trump is doing the same thing as these people, taking a resistance to oppression signal and using it for their own petty ends.
These Nimbys have a really week case, bordering on the ridiculous. A national security threat?!?!
Indeed, weak arguments damage the validity of any reasonable concerns.
Man dressed as a poo claims Royal Mail relocation as a threat to National Security.
I see Sian Berry has run a mile from this now the election is over and the NIMBY protesters look just a bit deranged.
She hasn’t run anywhere. It’s not clear why you’re so obsessed with Sian Berry – perhaps you need help or you should just relax a bit.
The call in might have been resident led by some campaigners but she’s still supporting Patcham residents on water issues and flooding. There was an update from her office on points she’d raised with Southern Water in August.
If you live in Hove you should be more worried about Peter Kyle taking money away from pensioners and obsess about him instead.
Local flooding in Patcham is made worse by Patcham residents, making driveways out of front gardens. It adds up. Needs a coordinated and broad approach. Including Southern Water.
It’s Amex MK 2. Remember that? We wouldn’t be without it now, and the same goes for this facility
Go away Nimbys and fight your next battle elsewhere
No it’s not. Not sure you’ve read the detail of the application at all. Southern Water do have concerns, which is why they have added conditions and said in an email on the day of the planning committee meeting that – “At this stage another conversation needs to be had between Southern Water and the developers to adequately address the risks we have raised in our response following their mitigation plan not being adequate to remove the conditions we have requested.”
I don’t particularly trust Southern Water or Royal Mail, but it’s been misrepresented that the water company are entirely happy with the plans. They might have removed their formal objection and added the conditions instead, but they still think conversations need to be happening about risk and suggested that Royal Mail’s mitigation plan was not adequate because they had tried to remove the conditions already.
No, you’re misrepresenting southern water and scaremongering.. I read the planning documents. Their concerns are just typical of any construction works reasonably close to a water works. Any construction with groundworks and foundations. It’s precautionary. And they have just suggested conditions, and have not objected.
Laughable these people saying the site could be used for social housing.
If it was as application they would be objecting to that just as much as to the RM facility.
And the council would have already considered if the site was suitable for housing many moons ago and would have found it wasn’t feasable or uneconomic to develope it for that. Because if it was suitable it would have already built them
Are you sure the council aren’t just being led by the money? I’ve not seen anything to suggest that either residents would object to social housing, or that the council has explored social housing for the site. For the last six or more years the council seems to have just been focused on the Royal Mail deal and releasing the money from the lease of the land. I’ve not seen any real evidence the council has properly looked into the social housing option – do feel free to post evidence otherwise though if you have any though!
Patcham residents have rejected all past planning ideas since c 1990? Perhaps housing was suggested years back I can’t remember off hand? And even if housing had been originally proposed, let’s be honest, you’d still be opposing it? As surely houses would still contribute to the sewage and surface water run off flooding concerns you campaign against now. It feels like more distraction tactics.