Councillors criticised plans to build a new coffee shop in a retail park, just yards from a congested stretch of Old Shoreham Road, Hove.
But Costa Coffee was granted planning permission to put up what was described as an “ugly grey shed” in the corner of the Goldstone Retail Park between Nando’s and TK Maxx.
Conservative councillor Samer Bagaeen said: “This application represents a failure to engage on a colossal scale and is a huge black mark on Savill’s role in promoting this unnecessary café in this location.
“Engagement is normally vital to ensure that those people who feel so connected to their local communities, whether in Hove Park or in Goldsmid in this case, and have such civic pride in the places they live, also feel ownership over the future of their cities and local areas.
“What’s been proposed is a hideous, ugly grey shed with zero design input. It should be refused on ugliness alone. I cannot see how it complies with any of our policies on design.
“Additionally, the applicant has not conducted a capacity analysis of the car park and the impact of increased traffic on spaces in the car park.
“This is important given the poor access for pedestrians within the car park, even after the recent resurfacing.
“I am struggling to understand the value of this application to the local community … It certainly does not deliver any benefits to the local community that other cafés in Hove Park, on the Old Shoreham Road and on Sackville Road provide.”
The Hove Park ward councillor, who is a professor of planning, told Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee: “This application, in my mind, presents a failure on many fronts and you should deny planning permission.”
He said that national planning policy “put beauty at the heart of the planning system to help you reject developments such as this”.
Councillor Bagaeen added: “The ‘Building Beautiful Places’ plan means that good-quality design will be paramount, with local communities put at the very heart of decision-making to help shape their towns and cities.
“The applicant has ignored the local community in this application. Colleagues, you are better than that.
“The main considerations in the determination of this application should also relate to the impact of the proposal on the character and appearance of the wider area, the impact on parking and highway (and) pedestrian routes, and the impact on the amenity of occupiers of neighbouring residential properties.
“I urge you to reject this application.”
Independent councillor Tony Janio said that the other buildings on the Goldstone Retail Park were “not exactly the Taj Mahal”.
And Labour councillor Daniel Yates asked which buildings at the retail park should be treated as a benchmark of beauty.
What on earth has one person’s taste in coffee got to do with a planning application? As for protecting young people from bad coffee, that is really bizarrre. Instead of patronising those young people, Councillor Yates should be concerned about more serious matters, such as drug-taking, alcoholism and gambling. And he should also be giving some conisderation to the people who live in that area, and the problems they would face now that planning permission has been granted.
Incidentally, Costa Coffee is ok, but certainly nothing special.
At least it’s not an Amsterdam-style “coffee shop” 🙂
I didn’t realise just how many only park in Goldstone to go to Hove Park with their dogs. They park, walk around then come back and leave.
Rarely do they even go to the shops. It is always busy there and adding Costa will improve nothing.
Wish there was a car washing facility to make use of the time.
The one in the Shell garage next door is nearly always not working.
Speak to the guys outside Hove Station and suggest they maybe open up a satellite branch at Goldstone Retail Car Park.
Why on earth does anybody spend a lot of money on coffee when it is simply a matter of grinding some beans at home and using a plunger for modest cost?
The same reason people spend money on take-aways – they can’t be bothered to learn how to cook and even making proper coffee is seen as too much like hard work.
Because they can.