A branch of Boots the chemist is moving from its premises in London Road, Brighton, into a former Chinese restaurant across the street.
The move paves the way for its current building to be demolished and replaced by a five-storey block, housing 232 student flats and new shops.
The company has submitted three planning applications to convert the vacant Bamboo House premises into a new branch, with new signs and changes to the building’s layout.
The conversion involves gutting the old restaurant, which was previously a branch of the Alliance and Leicester and then Santander bank. It was most recently divided to include a kitchen and two karaoke rooms.
Moving the pharmacy even just across the road meant that health chiefs were informed and consulted.
NHS England wrote to Brighton and Hove City Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board after being told about the proposed move.
The Health and Wellbeing Board has a duty to ensure people have proper access to local pharmacies.
After advice from the council’s public health team, Councillor Clare Moonan, who chairs the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “This is only 100 metres across the road and should not have a detrimental impact on our community.
“The level of service and opening hours will not be changing. As there is no gap in provision, the Health and Wellbeing Board does not need to make a representation.”
Student flats? Who would have guessed?
More student accommodation. !!! We need more family homes.
I agree more family homes are needed here.
People are having to go out of Brighton to buy properties as the accommodation and houses are too dear for youngsters starting out.
We are already surrounded by student accommodation private land lords taking over family houses making a fortune whilst families are desperate for some where to live!!!
Not more student flats . Where are the council who are meant to be building new homes . They just take over green spaces .
Enough student accommodation every where wot about all family’s and homeless who need housing Brighton council need to get there priority right
Is it not the case that by providing more dedicated student accommodation then some of the family type homes they currently use may be freed-up for families ?
No. These houses are a gravy train of cash the landlords are swimming in and definitely won’t be stopping at any station to return them to family homes
Swimming in a gravy train of cash? Wut?
The council’s highly dubious theory is that building more student flats will reduce the relentless march of family homes being converted into shared accommodation for students, the only motivation for HMOs being substantial landlord profit, often non-local landlord profit. The council also spouts off about the need for ‘mixed communities’ and proper neighbourhoods. No sign of that here. They allow hordes of students to be dumped in mega-blocks of student flats and allow the elderly to be dumped into pokey ‘retirement flats’, with communal areas where you can consort with more elderly people (I am a bit elderly by the way, but do not want to live in an ‘elderly block’ where there are no younger people or kids). There’s no evidence that any of the council theories are right that I can see. I live in a very short street on the eastern fringe of Brighton, which has seen a proliferation of HMOs because of the council’s limp and scattergun approach with Article 4 directions in a few wards. Belatedly, the council has been consulting on extending the Article 4 regime to all wards, which it may or may not do, but it is all much too slow and bureaucratic. Just like the parking permit situation, which is obviously in no way as serious as homes for locals, but they created paid zones in some areas and pushed the parking problems elsewhere, so everywhere has to become a paid zone eventually, with more revenue for the council. This short street currently has 8 (possibly 9) HMOs, including 3 in a row directly opposite me and one next-door (the other side of me includes a holiday let). That is not a neighbourhood or mixed community and I have no idea who these transient people are. However, these properties would not have been affordable for a local family to buy, because of the ridiculous prices in the city, but, had they originally been converted into 2 or 3 flats each, then they might have provided an affordable starter home for a couple, maybe with one child, possibly two. The priorities are wrong. A council, especially a supposedly socialist-led council, should look out for its proper residents first and foremost, not students who are passing through, a lot of whom have no actual and lasting ties with B&H and have decent homes wherever they come from, and with two unis and a medical school in town, this issue is only going to get worse. Question: how many of the graduates from Sussex Uni and Brighton Uni are actually studying useful subjects rather then Mickey Mouse stuff and how many of the useful grads are going to stay here? Not a lot, probably.
So thats another 232 flats occupied by Students who do not have to pay Council tax etc.The Council are not worried because the cost will be passed on to taxpaying residents.
Looks like Brighton residents, especially the born and bred ones, who kids have grown up and need a home, people who pay full rates all year round, people living in bed & breakfasts hotels, people living in unfit accommodation etc etc etc, are now right at back of the queue for housing!
Once the foreign language students flood Brighton, you’ll be lucky to get on a bus, let alone a seat!
Still. It brings money into the town they say, which can bolster the local economy so they have money to build more, well…. Student accommodations!
It’s time the tide of turning Brighton into Oxford and Cambridge by the Sea was stopped!
There are TOO MANY students!
Yet another example of the succession of clueless cretins voted in to run the place not being fit for purpose.
How is this development of any benefit at all to Brighton in any shape or form? – and proposed flats that are supposed to be for locals resembling a prison and that will lead to even more gridlock on Coldean Lane and Ditchling Rd.
Our current system of democracy is clearly not now or in the last 30 years working. People should have some form of qualification to become councillors – not just a popularity contest for self serving, fatuous morons.
Every single one of them – without exception – are beyond contempt.
“Cretins voted in to run the place?” Boots is owned by an American hedge fund. There is no requirement for it to be voted in and I don’t suppose any of the directors have even heard of London Road Brighton.
Nothing in the article suggests the council supports this planning application.
Who do you think decides planning policy and who decides to approve schemes like this? – a planning committee made up of elected councillors, that’s who.
It hasn’t been approved yet but that is merely a formality
When will this stop! They are killing the real Brighton that’s was amazing in the 80s….The gentle artry place to be with family, young people and students ….Now it’s all about Students and only them….Most will pass by and some wants to stay but they be no opportunity to grow a families, as we are trying to…its too much and too quick…..we all need together and March for our Brighton” families and young people who work and live here.
If we have Universities in Brighton there needs to accomodation for them, if you don’t build accommodation, they rent family houses. Do you want live next door to a house full of students?