The home site of the Round Hill Society, a community group of the residents of Round Hill in Brighton, England. The site contains information about the area, latest news and reflections on life in Round Hill.
This page is from the Round Hill Society archives which are available for historic interest. Please bear in mind when viewing archived pages that details may no longer be current.
Conversion of Former Offices into Five Self Contained Flats at
28 and 28b Crescent Road Brighton BN2 3RP
This application has now been WITHDRAWN.
Application BH2014/00841 - a notification claiming "permitted development" which turns residents main concerns into matters which the Council cannot take into account - has taken its place.
Campaign documents
Thank you if you submitted an objection. The open space under threat of overdevelopment has long provided visual amenity and environmental benefits to the many residents who live around it.
Application BH2014/00124
What is most concerning about this proposal is that granting it would establish "the principle of residential development" (where no homes have been before) on the strip which runs behind existing rear gardens between Crescent Road (west side) and Belton Road (east side). Although application BH2014/00124 is described as "a conversion of former offices" at 28 and 28b Crescent Road, on its eastern flank the whole strip (shown running N-S in the location plan) extends from land to the rear of 22 Crescent Road to land to the rear of 66 Crescent Road. On its western flank, the same strip extends from land to the rear of 46 Belton Road to land to the rear of 20 Belton Road.
If BH2014/00124 were to be granted, there would be potential for significant infill, effectively eradicating the green vista intended to run between the terraces in the original layout of Round Hill. If BH2014/00124 is granted, a planning proposal could easily follow affecting properties adjacent to both ends of the strip.
There is an outhouse to the rear of 62-64 Crescent Road and 20-24 Belton Road and another outhouse to the rear of 46 Belton Road and 22 Crescent Road. If the "principle of residential development" between Crescent Road and Belton Road were conceded by The Council, it would create a precedent for conversion of the outhouses into more residential flats. Planning inspectors who have dismissed developers' appeals against refusal to build on backland in Round Hill recognise that our neighbourhood is a hilly area where many residents have and use cars. The solution offered by our recent residents' parking scheme could be lost very quickly once the green light is given to develop the strip. The latter needs to be preserved to offer immediate residents visual amenity (their current outlook) in the absence of any public open space in our neighbourhood.