A date has been set for the council’s Planning Committee to decide whether to approve plans for a new King Alfred swimming pool and leisure centre.
Brighton and Hove City Council has scheduled an extra Planning Committee meeting to discuss the £65 million scheme at Hove Town Hall on Wednesday 29 July.
The council is in the process of preparing the ground to build a replacement seafront leisure centre in Kingsway, Hove.
The planning application includes new swimming pools and sports facilities on the part of the site occupied by the car park and former ten-pin bowling alley.
Six hundred comments have been left on the council’s website – 534 objections, 45 in support and others that are either mixed or neutral.
The building design has been described as “blocky” and families have criticised the lack of a lagoon-style leisure pool.
Some comments welcome the scheme despite reservations about the design and loss of facilities while others want the council to refurbish the existing 1930s building.
The Brighton Society has objected, raising concerns about the finances, size and impact on heritage of a site “within the setting” of the Old Hove, Pembroke and Princes and Cliftonville Conservation Areas.
The society said: “It is not ‘cutting edge’ or ‘state of the art’, rather a mimic of art deco at the front (the beach side) and overwhelming and unwelcoming blank walls on the west and north sides.
“The east side will face what appears to be six tower blocks. For the applicant to add that ‘the proposed design and layout has been carefully and efficiently designed with reference to the existing character of the surrounding area’ is an affront to local residents and heritage groups.”
The chair of the Dolphins Disabled Swimming Club wrote to support the plans, saying: “The current facilities and amenities at (the King Alfred) have helped many of our members.
“But the building is old, frail and experiencing many challenges with pool and shower temperatures, accessibility for our more severely disabled members and general hygiene issues with showers and drains.
“I have been involved with the consultation and development planning meetings and believe that the new development will provide much-improved services compared to what the current complex can even with refurbishing, as some people are suggesting.”
The extra Planning Committee meeting is scheduled to start at 2pm on Wednesday 29 July.
