Housing association Hyde is to hold three more design workshops as it prepares its plans for the vacant Sackville Hotel site on Hove seafront.
Hove Labour MP Peter Kyle and the Conservative councillor for Westbourne Ward, Denise Cobb, were among those attending the first session.
The pair tried out ideas with computer-aided design technology as Hyde goes back to the drawing with its plans for 189 Kingsway.
- The next sessions are due to take place on
- Wednesday 15 June from 2.30pm to 5.30pm
- Monday 20 June from 5.30pm to 8.30pm
- Friday 24 June from 1.30pm to 4.30pm
To book a place, visit the project website www.189kingsway.com.
Hyde’s first proposal for the site was criticised for being too tall and the housing association withdrew its planning application earlier this year.
The new scheme – described as intended to be mid-rise, elegant and neighbourly – is expected to be less than half the height of the original scheme.
Architects HGP, the firm behind the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, are exploring ways of stepping down the height at the rear so that it fits better with the homes behind the site.
Hyde said that it was “looking at a building sitting within its surrounding context”.
Mr Kyle said: “I’m really pleased that they are committing so fully to listening and taking on board the views of residents.
“I urge people to take part and engage with the workshops. Now we’ve won this opportunity for a rethink it’s up to us to make our views, concerns and aspirations for the site known loud and clear.”
Following receipt of an invitation by email and phone, and putting a post on the saveHOVE website about this, Tom Shaw of Hyde Housing emailed – and that too went onto the website: verbatim.
Seeking clarification, Mr. Shaw was asked if he could categorically state that Hyde would not seek to building above the 6-8 storeys laid down as policy SPGBH 15, for the Sackville Hotel site, at 189 Kingsway.
He never replied.
I hope residents will realise that even 6-8 storeys is a massive overshadowing burden on the housing on the north side of the site and therefore not humane or acceptable to inflict on them. But, too, the building line along the Kingsway is at stake.
Do you want a Benidorm-style line of towerblocks from King Alfred to the Port of Shoreham to rise up over the next 10 years? If a breach of the 6-8 storey limit is allowed at Sackville then, like skittles, ten-pins, the entire seafront will follow as developers pounce on their opportunity to screw more profit out of Hove’s seafront – by any means, including adding extra storeys to existing blocks of flats. You up for that? I hope not.
The new building should be no higher than the previous Sackville Hotel. It should be elegant and within keeping of previous styles along the seafront. I am hoping Hyde do a wonderful job and reply to those people who have asked questions or those who have commented which warranties a reply.
The majority of Hove seafront has buildings between 6 – 9 storeys, mostly not of any great quality. I don’t see people describing those as “inhumane” and the streets and residents behind seem to exist quite happily. There needs to be some sort of perspective here; Brighton and Hove needs homes to be built and this is a prime seafront site, which deserves great architecture. I’m glad Hyde did the right thing with the withdrawal of the Tower application, having taken a step back and started again, and particularly involving local residents in the new design. I support Peter Kyle’s statement that this is a valuable opportunity and local residents need to embrace it and engage. Personally, I’m all for new development of the right type and I think Hyde have gone a long way to redressing the balance on this particular site. Developers exist to make a commercial return, but they also deliver new homes, fund community infrastructure and can have a positive impact. I’m fairly optimistic this will be achieved at Sackville Gardens and look forward to seeing the final plans shaped by local people.