Plans for homes at gasworks site rejected

Campaigners cheered when the proposals for the gasworks site in Brighton were rejected

Plans to build hundreds of homes on Brighton’s former gasworks site have been refused.

The £280 million scheme would have seen 495 homes, including 11 blocks of flats up to 12 storeys high, built on land at the junction of Marina Way and Roedean Road.

Councillors said the development would be be too big and cramped, would harm the area’s historic heritage and contained too few family homes.

Brighton & Hove City Council received more than 1,700 objections to the project, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The planning application was for 481 flats and 14 townhouses. It included 2,791sq/m of commercial space at ground floor level and a “green link”.

Councillors had been advised to grant planning permission with a request that developers made “reasonable endeavours” to provide affordable housing be made.

'Airy fairy proposals'

Councillors were concerned about an “airy fairy” proposal to sell 40% of the homes to Sovereign Housing Association.

Labour councillor Gill Williams, who represents Whitehawk and Marina ward, said: “This will turn Kemp Town into Gotham City. It’s not in keeping with our heritage and conservation areas at all."

Ashley Spearing, from developer St William, said the affordable housing contribution had to rely on “reasonable endeavours” to satisfy the conditions of a prospective grant from Homes England.

Concerns were raised that properties could be used as short-term holiday lets. Mr Spearing told councillors that anyone buying a 999-year lease would be barred from using their home as an Airbnb.

St William, part of the £5 billion Berkeley Group, spent three years working on the proposals. They were rejected by seven votes to three at the end of a six-and-a-half-hour meeting.