prestonandpatcham.org.uk

UPDATE:10 MAY 2013: PERMISSION REFUSED: FULL STORY ON BRIGHTON SOCIETY PLATFORM

A DECISION ON THE SCHEME HAS BEEN DEFERRED TO ALLOW THE APPLICANT TO CHECK THEIR SHADOW PLOTS SHOWING OVER SHADOWING OF THE ROSE GARDEN AND THE ROTUNDA IN PRESTON PARK

This is the result of our charts shows that the applicant’s charts underestimated the overshadowing of the Rose Garden by between 30 to 50%, casting a shadow over the Rose Garden and the Rotunda turning them into miserable places for 7 months of the year. At present people enjoy sitting in the sun outside the Rotunda throughout the year.

Towers, up to 15 storeys high, would replace Anston House (only 9 storeys) at 137-147 Preston Road. The scheme is being claimed as a focal point for the gateway to the city. The Pylons on the city boundary on the A23 are already the gateway to the City, we do not need another gateway.

The architects claim that their “vision is to create a really special place, a contemporary reinvention of the classic Victorian or Edwardian parkside mansion block for the 21st century“. Yet this scheme bears no relation to Victorian or Edwardian villas. Their scheme is actually exclusively about inflating the value of the site.

The Council’s Tall Buildings Policy states: “there are other means of achieving increased densities, by for example, a denser form of a low or medium rise developments, which should not be overlooked”. Just as an example, a building of 3 storeys around a square would provide as much accommodation as a 15 storey block located in the centre of a square of the identical area.

The scheme includes: 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats for sale, shared ownership and private or affordable flats to rent. The proposal also includes up to 20,000 sq ft of offices, studios, shops, ” . . workspace and other activities – a coffee shop, a gym, a children’s nursery”. and other non-residential uses: a new version of the Preston Rockery, new (mature?) trees and rooftop allotment planters. Many of the office buildings in Preston Road have offices to let, we do not need even more office space.

The site, which has been derelict for 20 years, is now owned by a South African asset management bank Investec, who have made the application jointly with Urban Splash. The planning application no. is BH2012/02205.

This was previously the site of a line of grand Victorian villas which stretched from the Rose Garden at the south end of Preston Park all the way to Patcham. They provided a wonderful foil to the Park. The present proposal for 2 high rise blocks, one of them up the 15 storeys would dominate and oveshadow the Rose Garden and the Rotunda.

A 15 storey tower, would replace Anston House (only 9 storeys) at 137-147 Preston Road. The Preston Road valley may be designated for tall buildings, but this is very tall. Any building over 6 storeys is designated as a tall building according to the Council’s tall building policy. The other buildings in the Preston Road valley vary in height from 2 to 9 storeys. What is more this scheme would be built right up to the pavement edge and would hem in the park – listed grade II  – into an enclosed space, dominating it at its narrowest part.

Senior Council officers welcome this scheme as it goes a significant way towards meeting the Council’s housing targets, this is regardless of the fact that it overpowers the houses in Dyke Road Drive, that it overshadows the Rose Garden, that it hems in the park and that the applicants sole intention is to inflate the value of the site.