Plans for an £80 million scheme to build homes, shops and offices on land by Hove Station and the Conway Street bus garage have been submitted by Matsim Properties.
The developer wants to build 188 flats, about 21,000 sq ft of grade A office space and 2,500 sq ft of shops or small business units.
Matsim is also asking for planning permission to create a basement car park in its application to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The scheme would mean demolishing three commercial units in Ellen Street on a site also bounded by Ethel Street, Conway Street and Fonthill Road.
In their place Matsim would build a mixed development ranging between for and seventeen storeys high.
The developer has consulted extensively over the past year on the scheme, known as Hove Gardens, having put a lot of work into a previous scheme – Hove Square – which didn’t even get this far.
One of the key changes is the inclusion of a higher proportion of one-bedroom flats in response to an assessment of future housing needs locally.
Matsim director Simon Lambor said: “We hope that this can be the first phase and catalyst in the wider regeneration of the Hove Station Quarter that can provide desperately needed homes and employment space for the city.
“We continue to consult with the local authority and the Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum on this.
“We are also committed to the provision of affordable housing and the improvement of the public realm in the area.”
Architects LCE, of Brighton, said: “The proposed development has been fundamentally designed to accord with the council’s vision for this area.
“The proposals contained within the application have been developed following extensive pre-application discussions and liaison with Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum, who are in support of the proposed scheme, and public consultation carried out alongside them.
“The site presents a major brownfield redevelopment opportunity as it constitutes underutilised and previously developed land in a highly sustainable location, within an uninspiring setting.”
Matsim said that the flats would be well proportioned, with one, two or three bedrooms, and with access to communal roof gardens and allotments.
The scheme would provide employment space for up to 500 people, bringing economic benefits for the area and financial benefits for the council.
As well as £300,000 a year in council tax, the scheme is expected to generate £230,000 a year in business rates. It will also attract £320,000 a year in New Homes Bonus money from the government – or about £1.9 million over six years. In total the project is expected to be worth £850,000 a year to the council.
One resident said: “Given this is a rundown area where there are already tall blocks of flats and we’re desperate for housing, this looks like a promising scheme.
“It’s also worth a few bob to the council and I’m sure that won’t hurt its chances of getting planning permission.
“There seems to have been a reasonable amount of consultation although I’m sure it will still generate some opposition.
“It will be interesting to see whether we can finally expect something to start happening in what seems like a forgotten corner of Hove.”
That area of Hove does need something doing to it, and the Sackville Trading Estate is already partly empty. What’s the plan for the bus garage? A while back there was a suggestion for it to move to Crowhurst Road – is that still on the cards and, if so, what happens in the (admittedly rare) times of snow when it has been the case that no buses get further North than Preston Circus for several days?
Every high density development in the town helps protect the green belt. NIMBYS need to understand that!!
When are developers going to understand that we don’t want ugly 17 storey buildings in this area?
When is anything going to be done about the terrible access over the hove station bridge ? Maybe if this latest scheme goes ahead and generates so much money for the council it could finally be addressed?