Plans For Eastbourne Arts and Crafts School Given Green Lit

Plans to redevelop a former blacksmith’s forge into an arts and crafts school have been approved by Eastbourne councillors.

On Tuesday (February 11), Eastbourne Borough Council’s planning committee considered an application connected to The Old Forge — a property also known as Henty’s Steelworks — at 21a Lower Road.

The proposals, submitted by Brighton-based goldsmith Julian Stephens, involve the renovation and rebuilding of the site’s structures, with the aim of creating work and training spaces on the site.

While it had been recommended for approval by planning officers, the application had seen opposition from a number of local residents, who had raised concerns around disturbance resulting from the school’s activities.

Some of these concerns were voiced in a statement read on behalf of ward councillor Peter Diplock (Lib Dem), who said:

“The potential for noise from the development once up and running is concerning. Conditions proposed include an assessment of the expected noise levels, but what if actual noise levels are higher than expected?

“What is expected is that the independent assessor — appointed by the developer of course — will produce an assessment that presumes low noise levels. But it will be the residents who are left suffering if the reality is different.

“Committee should consider deferring the application to allow officers to place more robust conditions relating to noise on the development as a result.

“The creation of a residential flat … is also problematic. It is difficult not to see this as a precursor to AirBnb use.”

Cllr Diplock went on to raise concerns about the other elements of the site also being converted into housing at a later date and called on the committee to remove permitted development rights as part of any consent.

Objectors had also raised concerns about the traffic and parking impact of the development.

Mr Stephens sought to address these concerns during the meeting, pointing to his record of running a similar facility in Brighton.

Speaking during the hearing, Mr Stephens said:

“Listening to the objections I would also like to say I will do my very best to work with the community and the residents of Lower Road to ensure that as little inconvenience is created.

“I understand that there is a lot of concern about traffic, but in my experience of running a successful school in Brighton, with over 60 students attending each week, none of them attend by car, they all walk. It is in a more central location, but people travel.”

He added: “I am very happy to work with the council and the community to make sure this is a successful project and I hope that it will improve the community and become an asset to the community.”

Mr Stephens also said he intended for development to take place in stages over several years. Documents submitted as part of the application set out more details of this process, saying the scheme was expected to be split into three separate phases.

The first phase of the proposed development would involve the conversion of a former stables, which is the largest of the site’s structures. This part of the development would involve lowering the building’s floor and other internal changes. These changes would result in the creation of a “state-of-the-art jewellery studio” in the building’s loft, while its lower floor would continue to be used as a workshop.

This workshop would also include “a large area for teaching”, which would be used to hold both day and evening classes, including a City and Guilds course.

The second phase would involve the rebuilding of the site’s former forge — a structure which the application described as “derelict and dangerous”. The rebuilt building would become a “community space”, which could be used for a range of activities. These could include crafting courses which don’t require special equipment or after school clubs, the application says.

The third and final phase of the development would involve the demolition of a flat-roofed office building at the eastern side of the site. It would be replaced with a two-storey building with some form of specialised studio on its lower floor and an apartment above. The application largely describes the studio space as a “pottery”, but says it could also be used for print making or some alternative workspace which requires specialised equipment.

Committee members were generally supportive of the proposals, but also had concerns around some of its potential impacts. In light of these concerns, the committee opted to ask officers to negotiate a number of extra conditions.

Committee chairman Hugh Parker (Lib Dem) said:

“My personal view is that the project itself is exactly what is needed there, because it gives this committee an opportunity to control what happens there. At the moment there isn’t that control, so it is open to whatever.

“The control is clearly something which is important to the residents, so my view is that we need to impose reasonable conditions which … endeavour to cover the issues that residents have raised.

“[Thes would mean] the developer can satisfactorily operate the business model he has but the residents can be assured that the committee has taken on board their issues and made every endeavour to put into the conditions those things which hopefully will reduce their fears and in due course demonstrate that perhaps on some fronts they haven’t got too much to worry about and other fronts that we’ve simply done our best with what is in our control.”

The extra conditions included the provision of a travel plan, tighter restrictions on the uses of the site, and a commitment from officers to discuss with the applicant whether a disabled parking space could be accommodated on the site.

The committee’s approval was tied to these conditions, meaning the scheme will come back for further discussion should they not be achievable.

For further information see application reference 240535 on the Eastbourne Borough Council website.