Planners will take another look at a terrace of houses which may have been built in the wrong place.
Neighbours say the terrace of four homes and an office at the corner of Marmion Road and Mainstone Road, in Hove, is one metre bigger than the plans.
However, officers told Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Committee that their own measurements showed that the building was correct.
Wish ward Conservative councillor Robert Nemeth, speaking on neighbours’ behalf, said that residents’ own measurements showed that the building was longer than permitted.
He said: “Residents carried out their measurements, rather than using council methods, with a simple tape measure.
“This is why trees do not fit on the site and cars overlap the pavement.”
Two trees originally appeared on the plans but the council’s arboriculturist said they would not survive.
The issue came before the Planning Committee last Wednesday (7 November) as the completed terrace was said to deviate from the plans and conditions granted on appeal by a planning inspector.
Developer Albany Homes did not attend the meeting.
Councillor Julie Cattell, who chairs the Planning Committee, said that as the developer was not at the meeting it was not possible to ask if the building had been built further south than shown in the original plans.
Councillors agreed to defer the application to allow a visit to the site and to bring the matter back to the committee at a later date.
After the meeting Councillor Nemeth said: ““I am delighted to be backed by colleagues of all parties who questioned a number of curious elements within the application.
“A site visit will show that the whole building has been built in the wrong place which is why trees no longer fit on the site and cars overhang a busy pavement right next to a popular park.”
The developer also hopes to overcome a condition that no wiring, meter boxes, pipework, aerials or flues be fixed to the houses facing the road as gas boiler flues and meters were on the front of the buildings.
