Sainsbury’s said that it had no plans to close its branch in Portland Road, Hove, after the building’s owner was granted planning permission to extend the building.
Permission was granted by Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee without debate last week.
The owner, FPC Convenience No 1 Limited, plans to merge two of the three premises at 123-129 Portland Road, Hove, into one larger shop while the other unit remains broadly unchanged.
The two shop units that would merge are currently occupied by Sainsbury’s and its smaller neighbour, the St Vincent De Paul charity shop.
The block also includes a Costa coffee shop which is largely unaffected by the plans.
Sainsbury’s said: “We are currently talking to our landlord about this planning application and whether it could affect our store. We’ll keep everyone updated.”
Sainsbury’s leases the site from FPC Convenience No 1, which is part of the Foundation Property and Capital business owned by Ben Lansman, 32, and Stephen Lansman, 63.
The Lansmans are, respectively, the son and brother of Jon Lansman, the Labour activist who founded Momentum.
Councillors passed the Lansmans’ application without debate when the council’s Planning Committee met at Hove Town Hall last Wednesday (10 January).
The proposed changes include rearranging the area that includes the bin store and cycle parking within a new extensions at the back of the property.
Neighbours sent in six objections which included complaints about flats built as part of a roof extension in 2022.
Foundation Property and Capital and St Vincent De Paul were approached for comment.
What a surprise (NOT) Labour activists get planning permission with no debate from the Labour council..
Whilst Labour have 5 of the 7 councilors on the committee, (its what happens when you win a huge majority), they do work politically neutral and are gverned by planning law. Quite often you will see councilors from the same party vote differently.
Are the Lansmans’ whose company this is actually involved with the Labour Party or even momentum or are you just assuming a brother and son have the same views as another family member and just want to smear by association?
Momentum are nothing to do with labour and should be expelled from the party
Let’s keep our shops we need our shops you know
Good riddance to this hell hole of a shop
Passed with no debate ??? Part of Momentum what a surprise.
There are three non Labour councillors on the committee – a tory, a green and an independent
If they had wanted to discuss the item then they could have.
But they didn’t as per the video of the meeting. So in that case the officer recommendation is passed and the application approved.
And is there any evidence that the two applicant are involved with momentum? Just bacause a relation is dosen’t mean they automatically support the same things
I’ll be glad to see this shoddy little Sainsbury’s go. Get rid of it asap it’s nothing but a nuisance
The lease for Sainsbury’s expired on 5th January 2025.
It is currently trading illegally.
Hoping this plan to replace it with flats goes ahead we have enough shops in Portland road!