Planning Comment February 09

Conservation Advisory Group Meeting

3 February 2009

Application BH2008/03963 & BH2008/03983

Medina House, King`s Esplanade, Hove.

"Demolition of Medina House and new build 16 storey development including 11 residential units, ground and first floor restaurant, second floor office and basement parking. Conversion of no. 3 Victoria Cottages from 1 no. dwelling house to 2 no. affordable maisonettes".

CAG considered this application to be detrimental to the conservation area, unsympathetic to the existing streetscene and the seafront by means of scale, particularly in relation to the small scale properties to the north of the site, and elevational treatment, and contrary to the Council`s Supplementary Planning Guidance - Tall Buildings Policy (SPG BH15). For these reasons CAG would recomend Refusal of this application and requested that if the application was recommended for approval it be referred to the Planning Committee for a decision.

Conservation Advisory Group Meeting

24 February 2009

Application BH2008/03983

"Demolition of existing building [i.e. Medina House]".

As a matter of policy, CAG would not normally recommend the demolition of an existing building unless and until a proposal for an acceptable replacement had been approved. Moreover in this case CAG would oppose the loss of the existing building, which is of higher architectural interest than the more modern neighbouring blocks. Planning Permission has previously been granted for conversion of the existing building into 3 flats. CAG confirmed its support for that limited scale of development, which would preserve the outward appearance of the existing building even though original internal features would inevitably be lost. CAG therefore recommended Refusal of the application to demolish and asked that if approval were nonetheless favoured by the Planning Officer responsible, then the case should be submitted to the Planning Committee for decision. HCS agreed entirely.