The Royal Mail has submitted changes to its planning application for a new delivery office at Patcham Court Farm in Brighton.
The plans have been met with considerable opposition from people living near the largely disused site in Patcham.
If the Royal Mail builds the proposed delivery centre at the site, it would be expected to close its premises in North Road, Brighton, and Denmark Villas, Hove.
The North Road and Denmark Villas sites could then be used for building new homes, possibly by Brighton and Hove City Council.
This afternoon (Tuesday 25 July), the council said: “This followed feedback by planners to the scheme submitted in July 2022, informed by comments from local residents, council officers, councillors and other statutory bodies.
“The proposal still seeks to build a storage and distribution facility with associated access, parking and landscaping.
“The plans include two substations and an express vehicle maintenance facility.
“In the amendments, there are no proposed changes to the type of development or to the boundary of the site.
“There are, however, alterations to the pedestrian access, landscaping, parking and boundary treatment.
“Changes to the layout include
- The realigning the footpath along Vale Avenue, the pedestrian access into the site and the crossing point along the frontage as well as additional planting
- Relocating the disabled parking area and identification of a routing plan around staff car park
- Providing seven additional motorcycle parks
- Increasing electric vehicle charging points
- A new perimeter wall around the substations and
- Realigning the palisade fencing around the site
“Vehicle and pedestrian access to the site will be from the south and south west, in Vale Avenue.
“Pedestrian links will be provided to the building and throughout the car park.
“More information about the site and the planning application can be found on Brighton and Hove City Council’s Patcham Court Farm planning website page.
“Royal Mail has provided a specific ‘planning update note’, clearly setting out the alterations to the scheme.
“This and all of the documents which form the application are publicly available through the council’s website planning register. The application number is BH2022/02232.
“The easiest way to comment on the application and these revisions is through the online planning register.
“Anyone can provide comments at the planning application stage. Planning officers will consider all comments in their assessment and recommendations to the Planning Committee.
“While the initial consultation period has expired, comments will be considered up until the point that the application is decided by the committee.
“The site is allocated in the council’s City Plan Part One for employment use as offices or a research and development facility.
“As Royal Mail’s proposed use for storage / distribution is not in accordance with the allocated use, the planning application will be assessed against this policy and other policies in the City Plan Part One and Two.
“The comments received from residents and local stakeholders will be considered along with responses from internal and external consultees.
“Locally elected councillors on the Planning Committee will make the final decision on the planning application. A decision is not expected before autumn 2023.
“The 1.56 hectare former farm is next to the A27 bypass, close to where it meets the A23 and approximately 5km north of Brighton city centre.
“The site itself mainly comprises redundant agricultural buildings, although one building is still currently occupied and in use by a local business.
“The land is owned by Brighton and Hove City Council.”
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: Vee McGivney
Date: 25 July 2023 at 16:59:35 BST
To: russell.brown@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Subject: BH2022/02232
It beggars belief that the plans have resurfaced in relatively unchanged form, despite the multitude of concerns raised not only by local residents, but by different agencies with responsibilities for water, highways and the environment. Royal Mail is clearly indifferent to the obvious problems such a massive development will cause in terms of traffic increase, safety issues, noise pollution, parking problems, water pollution and environmental damage, in an area with relatively narrow roads which is already notoriously prone to flooding. There are surely better uses to which the land could be put which would actually benefit residents
Sadly, doesn’t beggar belief when you ‘appreciate’ this was the way….the filth always had urban post offices in mind….purely their objective…all around the National….privatisation…sell off all the magnificent central post offices and fob off to new retail parks miles away from the common purpose….so blatant, it’s ridiculous…
What people in Brighton do not realise is that a large quantity of their drinking water originates from this site and a hundred years ago this farm was purchased by the then Brighton Corporation, by a special act of parliament, just to protect this natural source for the city of Brighton. One can only appreciate their farsightedness. Over 160,000 Brighton residences obtain their drinking water from this source. Furthermore, Royal Mail intend to service 100’s of vehicles on this site and any hazardous oils seeping from the surfaces will contaminate our water
Let’s be real here. The adjacent heavily congested 4 lanes of the A27 and the spaghetti junction onto the A23 heap vast amounts of pollution onto this landscape already. The addition of this development will of course add to this, but really just be a drop in the ocean to what’s already there.
Chop chop get it built. Stupid having 3 different post centers and all those trucks running down from Gatwick and though town.
The 3 sites could probably create a thousand flats that would be much needed and it would probably create a better service for all of us.
As for the drinking water argument, incorrect, massively incorrect. It’s a tiny site that was only cut off due to the bypass being built. This argument is NIMBYism at it worst.
There is nothing magnificent about Brighton, hove or portslade post centers, they should have been bulldozed 30 years ago