CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 128 care home apartments have been deferred again as Eastbourne Borough Council’s planning committee stressed the developer has yet to fulfil essential criteria.
Untold Living submitted plans last year to develop the retirement home complex on Site 1 off Martinique Way on Sovereign Harbour and this was met with vehement objections from residents.
The proposal includes a restaurant/bar, community space, landscaping and parking.
At a meeting on August 20, the planning committee required Untold Living to engage in further discussions with East Sussex County Council’s over its ecological and landscape requirements.
Other conditions the developer must meet include ensuring the age of occupiers must be over 55 and the apartments must not be utilised as second homes.
There must also be a travel plan, car club and transport contributions, plus a Local Labour Agreement and a commitment to improve public open space and walkways.
Developers had originally aimed to build 137 apartments in a seven-storey complex but when the plans were brought to a planning meeting in March Eastbourne Council rejected the proposal.
The committee requested the developer revise the design. These include a reduction from 137 to 128 residential units, change from seven-storeys to six-storeys, change the palette of materials for the exterior, separation of the buildings to improve the aesthetics of the complex so it does not have a “bulky” appearance and “revisit the design to reflect the maritime locality and respond to the setting of the Martello Tower 66”.
Historic England (HE) had previously voiced concerns about the potential impact on Martello Tower but following the revised proposals, HE commented it has “no objections on heritage grounds”, saying: “the recent amendments represent a positive change from the previous proposals.
“In particular, the reduction in height, allowing more views through the building via better use of the glazed links, and the amendments to the materials and palette allow for the structure to be read as smaller more separated units, in comparison to a single monolithic wall of development.
“The revised treatment of the northern end of the building also allows for an improved approach and intervisibility from Sovereign Quay.
“These revised proposals also better accord with the design principles and criteria that we identified in our January 2014 advice regarding the outline planning application of the previously consented scheme at the site.”
So far, 592 objections have been submitted to Eastbourne Borough Council planning portal since Untold Living first put in the plans.
A petition was also launched by Rommy Haynes on Change.org calling for the council to scrap the proposal.
The campaign has garnered nearly 1,000 supporters whose main reasons for opposing the plans include the potential impact on wildlife, the height of the building, too many developments already present at Sovereign Harbour, immense pressure on current infrastructure and the size of the complex which they believe threatens to reduce the prominence of the Martello Tower.