Why are vital planning decisions being taken without proper scrutiny?
A controversial planning application to build 148 new flats in three blocks up to 11 storeys high in Newtown Road, Hove, was passed by Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee, meeting last Wednesday via an online forum.
The scheme, with just 22 per cent affordable housing and comprising 54 per cent one-bedroom flats was accepted by six votes to four.
This follows on from the recent approval of 824 flats in the Moda scheme, in Sackville Road, Hove.
The non-retirement element of the Moda scheme includes just 10 per cent affordable housing and 45 per cent studios or one-bedroom flats.
In the same area – known as Development Area 6 in council policy – there is the New Wave scheme consisting of 65 flats, already built, and the 200 flats at Hove Gardens development, south of the railway line and soon to follow.
Each of these plans have their merits and faults in isolation but who is looking at the cumulative effect of so much development in such a small area?
Does the council want to achieve the entire city housing target by building in Goldsmid ward?
I am concerned that the legitimate objections of the Goldsmid ward Labour and Green councillors regarding overdevelopment, affordability, housing mix, traffic gridlock and infrastructure are being ignored while their fellow party councillors, representing wards not affected by these schemes, squeeze them through.
The local councillors representing the areas affected are not allowed to vote on planning decisions in their own ward. Surely this must be wrong.
We believe that in Brighton and Hove the planning system is no longer working.
Dubious decisions about the future development of our city are being taken in a hurry and go through by exceedingly small margins.
Can it be right that a slim majority of councillors can effectively have a huge impact on the living environment for many residents for many years to come?
Local Liberal Democrats acknowledge the urgent need for more housing in Brighton and, in particular, for three-bedroom family homes, rather than one-bedroom flats, at affordable rents.
But this pressing need does not justify poor decisions. It is time for a fundamental look at the planning process in our city.
Andrew England is a member of the executive committee of the Brighton and Hove Liberal Democrats and the Goldsmid ward organiser.
Councillors on the Planning committee can only vote on the application in front of them. That is the law (not just council policy)
The planning committee is made up of councillors of all 4 parties represented on the council and from all parts of the city.
Ward councillors are able to comment on all applications in their wards and can ask for an application to be decided by the committee not just officers using their delegated powers but allowing them to vote on applications within their wards would be bad policy as they could be voting based on their own electoral considerations rather than based on planning policy.
And did the Lib Dems respond to the (lengthy) consultation on the City Plan where planning policy for the whole city is being considered and set?
Dear Chris
This was our response to the City Plan Part 2 proposals.
Best Wishes
Andrew
https://liberalbrighton.org/en/article/2020/1357933/full-statement-on-brighton-hove-city-plan-part-2
Whole problem is the cumulative effect of teh individual applications in Goldsmid area. Could become ovwerwhelmed by high rise
City Plan 2 shold be binned as the whole economic outlook and therefore land use has cahnged drastically
The Global Funancial meltdown of 2008 ravaged & bankrupted developers & associated trades. Coronavirus will do the same – potentially on a far grander scale. I have said this before in an article elsewhere & it needs to be part of all evaluations & planning strategy considerations as we re-orient our world to a new normal.
Perhaps the BHCC planning dept feels the need to agree EVERYTHING in hopes some get built but knowing many will not. They have, after all, first & foremost, got to show compliance on huge housing target numbers to Govt inspectors!
If all the agreed applications in the Hove Station area did get built, the area would become unliveable, gridlocked, a total, air polluted, noise-wracked, angry, hellspace.
Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum has consistently challenged the council to publicly evaluate the cumulative impact on traffic and parking of major applications in the area around Hove Station. At the Planning Committee which approved the KAP development on Newtown Road we used our 3 minutes to ask for the decision to be deferred until the application could be considered alongside the application by LIDL for a traffic generating food and drink store on the site adjacent to the KAP proposal. This request was predictably denied. It may well be that the recently approved developments will not be built out for some time – given mounting uncertainty in the property development market. This gives the opportunity for the Council to produce an analysis of cumulative impact which will convince Hove residents that they will not face traffic conditions deteriorating to gridlock and increasing on-street parking problems. The Council must develop and deliver an integrated traffic and parking management plan for the whole of the Hove Station development Area and adjacent neighbourhoods. The Forum will continue to promote debate on this major issue as we comment on planning applications, final (post-Covid) stages of City PLan Part 2 and completes the Hove Station Neighbourhood Plan which focuses on the promotion of a sustainable Hove Station Quarter.