Plans for 12-storey block of 336 studio flats in the New England Quarter close to Brighton Station have been lodged.
Watkin Jones, which built the student housing on the site of the former Co Op in London Road, is planning a co-living scheme on the site in New England Street.
These schemes are similar to student housing, featuring communal living areas, but designed to be let to young professionals.
Albany House ad St James’s House would be knocked down to make way for the block.
The application, written by Greenline Studios, says: “The development will comprise 2257 m2 flexible commercial floorspace (Use Class: E) and a mix of 336 co-living studio flats (Use Class: Sui Generis)
“In addition, as is typically found within co-living developments, there will be a range of residential amenity/ additional spaces and uses to support a mixed use development of this nature; including shared social facilities and wellbeing areas, landscaping, amenity space and functional accommodation such as laundry, cycle / limited accessible car parking, plant and refuse storage.
“Together these uses will deliver a range of flexible commercial units concentrated on the lower ground floors, and a selection of co-living studio types and shared facilities on the lower and upper floors.
“During construction, the scheme is expected to generate approximately 184 person-years of employment within the construction and associated sectors.
“This activity will contribute an estimated £15.1 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the local economy.
“Once operational, the development will support 156 gross permanent jobs, including building management roles and employment within the commercial floorspace. After accounting for additional factors such as leakage and displacement, this equates to 89 net additional jobs for local residents.
“The scheme will also support further economic activity through resident expenditure. With 336 co-living units, the development is expected to accommodate a predominantly working-age population, including approximately 263 economically active residents.
“These residents will contribute an estimated £5.63 million per annum in local spending, supporting an additional 29 net jobs within the Brighton & Hove economy.
“In addition to direct employment and expenditure effects, the development will contribute to strengthening the local labour market by providing accommodation suited to young professionals and workers in knowledge-intensive sectors.
“This will help support business growth, talent retention, and the continued development of Brighton as a dynamic and competitive city economy.
“Overall, the proposed development represents a meaningful and sustainable contribution to local economic growth, employment generation, and labour supply.”
Since the building of York and Elder, opposite to this proposal, New England Street has become a wind tunnel. I hope wind-tunnelling will be taken into account when designing the new building.
Yes it would be a wind tunnel specially with the winter north east winds sweeping across. and more importantly the loss of light They should scale this down and develop for affordable housing or even 2 Bed flats for a young family.
Loss of light, who for? The railway… Nonsense we need much more redevelopment of brownfield land like this.
I had a look through the proposal and I’m pretty alarmed by the scale of it.
This isn’t really “homes” in the normal sense. It’s 336 tiny co-living rooms, with no family housing and no affordable housing on site, right next to the Greenway and very close to existing homes.
Brighton obviously needs housing, but the council’s own figures show Brighton is already delivering well above its annual housing target. So I hope this isn’t just waved through by the council under the banner of “housing crisis” without looking properly at daylight, height, wind, the Greenway and what kind of housing is actually being built.
The Greenway is one of the few bits of breathing space around London Road. It needs light, not another wall beside it.
There’s clearly been no thought about the Greenway behind it and it’s impact on wildlife and usability for local residents.
Why can’t we build reasonably sized developments, perhaps 4 or 5 stories with a range of apartment sizes which is in keeping with it’s surroundings. Why are developers becoming so greedy and not being challenged adequately by the planning authority.
Much needed homes for young people in Brighton. If you’ve ever been to the Greenway its literally just some grass and a solid location for drug users to loiter. I say this a brilliant way to get more homes for more people by building smaller studio units. Love it!
They cost 1500 quid a month. How many young people do you know can afford that in rent? For an 18 square metre room.
Yes I know loads. That includes utilities and council tax. Have you seen whats going on in the world? Noone is financially able to build homes because it is too expensive at the moment. I love the idea that a developer is making a financial committee (tens of millions of pounds) to help our young people. We need more young people contributing to the economy in Brighton.
For your sake I want to believe that your enthusiasm for such a project and rationale is pure sarcasm. However, this seems unlikely.
Based on average income and affordability ratios, affordable rent/mortgage is about £1000 a month.
Because 4 or 5 stories doesn’t deliver the volume that’s needed.
If you are sick to death of seeing family homes being converted into HMOs well this is the answer, lots and lots of flats, it’s the only way to disrupt that market.
Actually a 12 storie building is in keeping with the surroundings as that’s the height of the other 3 closest buildings. As for the Greenway… It’s some grass bushes and a pathway, it’s hardly the hanging gardens of Babylon
It doesn’t turn HMOs back into family homes. It just builds one giant corporate HMO beside the Greenway. Or, as someone else put it, one big bedsit.
Brighton has over delivered on its housing quota the past two years. Building 336 bed sits, some of which will not have access to open windows due to industrial activity next door, is not the solution. Especially when rents are over £1500 pcm.
Is “co-living space” the new name for bedsits?
wot about then hotel on the sea front then
the fire one the hotel near the pair need a fit