A crumbling backpacker hostel on Brighton seafront is set to become a shared house for up to 27 people.
Developer Zaid WR Ltd, owned by Ali Bilal, wants to turn the former hostel next to Burger King on Kings Road into a 17-bedroom house of multiple occupation.
To house them all, it wants to put two extra floors on the building, turning it into a six storey block – the same height as its neighbours.
A planning application, written by Wilbury Planning, says: “Above ground floor level, the building is currently disused and redundant, and has been vacant for the last 18-months. The site is slowly falling into a state of disrepair.
“The intention of the applicant is to ensure the most efficient and effective use of this existing vacant and disused building through its conversion to an HMO (Sui Generis) use for up to 27-occupants.
“This in turn will enhance the local area by putting into a use an otherwise disused and redundant building and deliver an important type of housing that will help meet the housing requirements of Brighton and Hove.”
All the bedrooms would have a hand basin and en-suite. Ten of the units would be served by a new lift.
The building would have five shared kitchens and six living/dining rooms – a total of 4sqm per occupant.
Part of the restaurant prep area on the ground floor would be given over to the new lift.
The application doesn’t specify who the house would be let to, but does quote planning officers who say the proposed use would lead to occupation during university term times.
The ground floor of the building is currently occupied by the Sweetsler dessert parlour and Griller chicken shop.
The council refused planning permission for the signage for both restaurants following a retrospective planning application made by Justin Manning. In December, a planning inspector dismissed his appeal against the refusal.
Really not going to enhance the area and I doubt that the foundations are up to it. I expect that the road will collapse into the arches and the seafront will be closed off for another 5 years!
This will not enhance the sea front. It needs to be eye catching and attractive. Not 27 ‘rooms’ in a shared accommodation. Remember this is not housing people this is imprisoning 27 if not more people in the tiniest box unaffordable rooms due to having a ‘sea view’
I’ll be letting the council know that this is an awful idea.
How are they going to force anyone to live in it? Someone trying to find a room to rent in an expensive town will be grateful for this opportunity but you seem to think they shouldn’t be allowed to make that decision
Derelict seafront hostel set to become 27-person shared pit of despair.
Fixed the headline.
That depends who moves in, charge the rent high enough and they’ll likely all be trustworthy professionals
I was reading into the developer, it’s a single man operation with no history, but four micro entity companies set up in the last year. That is not inspiring me with confidence.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/4-SFFD6FwnIlAnrYag5HbNfmH_g/appointments
Looks like something pre arranged with those companies established ready for the event, Council contact must know the status of this Company Owner before handing out contracts for refurb or rental agreements, probably more contracts already on the go I would think.
we all know who’ll be out in there
I read that a school in hove is now to be a HM0 of 47… is this the future of housing now by Brighton council.. prison size boxes and sharing kitchens bathrooms…how depressing! And who is going to be housed there as Brighton is to be a city of sanctuary?!
I think it’s likely to be kept under a guardianship until a development can be planned out.
It’s not all bad, plenty of people are fine with a smaller space to call home, plenty of others can’t manage more than a single room, just the basics with your own living space is good enough as a starting point, some will improve and advance from that, many won’t and never will or don’t need to,
Agree to the 2 extra stories, disagree with the HMO slums idea. 4sq metres per person… Disgusting
The 4sq metres is for the shared areas not their own rooms, they are legislated differently, 4sqm x 27 occupants is not bad, not the best but enough at 108sqm
Shocking.
The race to the bottom in housing standards continues.