A plan to build extra floors and add three flats at an office block near three Brighton music venues has been refused.
Brooks Murray Architects wanted to extend one floor and build an extra storey at 125 Queen’s Road, Brighton, opposite the Hope and Ruin and Rossi’s Bar and near the Quadrant.
Music fans sent 312 objections to the application, raising concerns about potential complaints from new residents moving into homes close to grass roots music venues.
Two Brighton and Hove City Council cabinet members objected – Labour councillors Birgit Miller and Alan Robins – as well as Green councillor Ellen McLeay, who represents the ward, West Hill and North Laine.
Councillor Miller is the cabinet member for culture, heritage and tourism and Councillor Robins is the cabinet member for sports and recreation.
Another politician was among the objectors, the former Green MP for Brighton Pavilion MP, Caroline Lucas, before she stood down at the general election last year.
The planning application did not go before the council’s Planning Committee but was decided by officials.
They said that the proposed scheme would be “overly dominant” harming the street scene and the nearby conservation areas.
The building is not in a conservation area but is near the Montpelier and Clifton Hill, North Laine, Old Town and West Hill Conservation Areas and would be visible from them all.
It is also close to listed buildings and “heritage assets” including railings on both side of Queen’s Road, the Clock Tower, Quadrant Public House and the former drill hall in Church Street.
We have lost too many important venues here and elsewhere due to this kind of development. They destroy the very thing they come in search of, the brighton vibe. Remember developpers woul knock down the pavilion to get some flats in for money and olis would buy the lot. The people need to fight , 312 is utterly pathetic, dont you care about your town?
It was rejected, there’s no need to get angry at the lack of support. It didn’t even go before the committee. If you think noone cares about music venues what about the Prince Albert. 22k+ signatures and hundreds of letters calling for rejection of the offices next door. Government granted it anyway. Doesn’t matter how much we say no, the council just see money. Music doesn’t matter to them. We don’t matter to them.
Planning decisions aren’t based on the weight of numbers of for or against submissions.
One cogent objection on planning grounds can outweigh 1,000 in favour and vice versa.
What matters is the quality of the submission not the quantity.
312 apparently individual submissions (rather than a single petition) is actually a very high number of submissions. Many planning applications get less than a dozen and some get none.
We have to stop developers destroying Brightons culture, soon it’ll be homes for rich people and no reason to be here