Councillors have approved outline plans for 14 houses on a patch of scrubland in Portslade.
Brighton landlord and property developer Mike Stimpson will still need permission for the final layout and detailed designs at a later date.
His company Mike Stimpson Properties applied to Brighton and Hove City Council for outline planning permission for the site to the south of Fox Way and west of Foredown Road.
And on Wednesday (7 July) at Hove Town Hall, the council’s Planning Committee voted unanimously in favour of the scheme.
The plans are for seven two-bedroom houses and seven more with three bedrooms – but no affordable homes.
Councillors were told that Mr Stimpson was planning another scheme on a neighbouring plot and would build affordable homes there.
Green councillor Sue Shanks said: “This is a good site, I would have thought, for affordable housing. So I’m a bit concerned that we’re waiting until they develop something else which may not happen.
“I would have thought that would be more appropriate on the existing site.”
She was told that, at most, there would be just four affordable homes on the site – too few for a housing association to want to manage.
Labour councillor Daniel Yates had concerns about access to the site and said that improvements to the pavement would be needed.
He said that the proposed scheme looked like making good use of the site, adding that the density “doesn’t look out of keeping” with most of the neighbouring properties.
Green councillor Leo Littman, who chairs the Planning Committee, said that initially he had concerns – in particular about ecological matters – but that now he welcomed the scheme.
Portslade needs new housing. It’s looking so run down and tired and whilst more affordable than Brighton and hove that’s not a reason why it too can’t look better. Let’s get more housing and hopefully it will lose the Poor tslade tag
I wonder where the “neighbouring plot” where they will build “affordable houses” will be – because I can’t see any spare land in the aerial view?
Why do people go on about affordable housing. Get a better job or move
Rupert, think for a moment. Portslade (in parts) is in the most deprived 20% of the entire country. According to Zoopla, however, the average price for property in Portslade stood at £315,343 in January 2020.
If you need two-teachers-no-kids money to buy in the country’s poorest areas, something needs to be done. That something, frankly, is to give housebuilders a bloody good shake until they cough up properties real people can afford.