Alternative Proposals Put Forward For Eastbourne Homes

Tuesday, 4 February 2025 15:39

By Huw Oxburgh

A developer has put forward alternative plans for an Eastbourne housing scheme.

In an application validated by Eastbourne Borough Council last month, a developer is seeking permission to demolish a block of garages in Upperton Lane and build 12 one-bedroom flats in its place.

In February last year, the applicant, listed as Peter Morley, secured planning to build four three-bedroom houses on the same site, which lies directly to the rear of an apartment building known as Pembroke House.

These proposals seek to replace this previous scheme with an alternative design.

In documents submitted as part of the application, Mr Morley’s agent said:

“The proposed redevelopment seeks to better utilise the use of the site and will provide much-needed accommodation to the area and will contribute towards increasing the council’s number of years supply of housing.

“The size complies with the minimum space standards provision and has been designed to provide accessibility, private amenity space, refuse/recycling storage, cycle storage and sustainability.

“The buildings’ form and layout has been designed to reduce … impact on neighbouring properties and … is well situated on the site.”

The scheme has already attracted objections from nearby neighbours — including several residents of Pembroke House — who argue the development would be an “overdevelopment” of the site.

Objectors also argue the scheme would put unacceptable pressure on parking and local infrastructure.

The proposed development follows a broadly similar design to the previous scheme. Both would appear as a terrace of four three-storey buildings fronting Upperton Lane, with garden space to their rear.

Unlike the previous scheme, the new proposals do not include garages nor any off-street parking spaces. This results in the apartment buildings having a flatter frontage than the previously-approved scheme.

The alternative proposals would also be classed as a “major development”, due to its delivery of more than 10 individual properties.

This means the alternative scheme would surpass the threshold wherein developers are required to address affordable housing.

In Eastbourne, planning policy requires developments with more than 11 units to provide between 30 and 40 per cent of the units as affordable homes, depending on whether the site is considered to be in a high- or low-value market area.

Upperton Lane is considered to be a high-value market area, so the 12-unit scheme would normally be expected to provide four affordable units on site and a financial contribution equivalent to 80 per cent of the value of a fifth affordable unit.

But the applicant argues the development is not able to meet this policy requirement on viability grounds. In fact, the developer says the site “cannot sustain any affordable housing provision on or off site”.

For further information see application reference 240683 on the Eastbourne Borough Council planning portal.