£32m Hove flats Scheme Refused On Appeal

A developer has lost its appeal to build 94 flats in a seven-storey block in Hove.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee refused RKO Developments Limited’s £32 million scheme on the corner of Cromwell Road and Palmeira Avenue, in Hove, in September 2020.

The refusal followed a lengthy campaign by neighbours belonging to the campaign group Hove Gold.

In the past three years, the group has opposed several high-rise schemes in the Cromwell Road and Davigdor Roar area.

Planning inspector David Prentis dismissed RKO’s appeal after an online hearing last month.

In his report, Mr Prentis said that the main issues were the scheme’s effect on the character and appearance of the area, the effect on neighbours’ living conditions and whether there was adequate affordable housing.

Mr Prentis said that the site was not within any of the areas set aside for taller buildings in the council’s planning policies.

And he said that Cromwell Court, on the opposite corner of Palmeira Avenue, was an “outlier” in terms of its height.

Despite the developer stating the top floors were set back from the street frontage, Mr Prentis said that the scheme was intensive and “not well related to the surroundings”.

He said:

“The design incorporates some features that would mitigate the height, scale and mass of the buildings to a degree, but this would not be enough to integrate it into the site context in a satisfactory way.

“The appeal scheme would result in harm to the character and appearance of the area. It would not raise the standard of architecture and design in the city, nor would it contribute to establishing a strong sense of place by respecting the character of the neighbourhood.”

The Edwardian homes on the site were not in the Willett Estate Conservation area, Mr Prentis said, but the scheme would be “harmful to the character of the area”.

He also said that the it would adversely affect the living conditions of neighbours in terms of overlooking and loss of privacy.

And although the council’s policy is for schemes with more than 15 homes to make 40 per cent of them “affordable”, RKO said that this would render its plans financially unviable.

Mr Prentis said that he gave “little weight” to the lack of affordable housing because a “review mechanism” could address this were the scheme to go ahead.

The three councillors for Goldsmid ward, which includes the RKO site, were delighted with the decision after supporting the neighbourhood campaign from the start.

Green councillor Marianna Ebel said:

“I am absolutely delighted that the appeal for the RKO Developments planning application was dismissed by the government’s planning inspector.

“This was a true community effort where local residents and ward councillors worked closely together to fight off a development that would have been completely unsuitable and inappropriate for the local area and would have harmed the neighbourhood and anyone living in it.

“I am pleased that the government’s inspector listened to the concerns of neighbours and ward councillors. Our local community will greatly benefit from this decision.”

Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn said:

“What a victory for the local community who made a tremendous effort to oppose the application in the first place and then oppose the planning appeal from RKO.

“The level of organisation from the local community was impressive and the fact that many attended the hearing and spoke about their concerns was very powerful.”

Fellow Labour councillor John Allcock said:

“I’m delighted with this community victory against the odds.

“The plans for this proposed development were incompatible with our neighbourhood, opportunistic in nature and had no affordable housing, which is so desperately needed in our city.

“I have been both perplexed and astounded that the developer did not offer to consult with the community at any time over the past three years.

“Maybe it’s because they knew that their plans were clearly out of character with the neighbourhood and would have a detrimental impact.

“I was heartened by and appreciative of the inspector’s serious consideration of all the concerns raised by our community, including the fundamental importance of creating high-quality, beautiful and sustainable buildings and places as part of what the planning and development process should achieve. Good design is a key aspect of sustainable development.”

Councillor Allcock praised the community for coming together to fight for what they believed was right.