A car hire firm wants to invest £500,000 in a new branch in an old builder’s yard in Brighton – and councillors are being advised to grant planning permission for the proposal.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car wants to partly demolish some of the buildings at the former Travis Perkins site, at 58-60 Beaconsfield Road, Brighton, and put in a car wash bay for rental vehicles.
The business also wants to make changes to the shop front, add parking in the rear yard and make other changes at the site which has been vacant for two years.
But people living in Springfield Road and Ditchling Rise have submitted more than 160 objections to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The council’s Planning Committee is due to decide the planning application on Wednesday (1 November) and officials have recommended that permission is granted.
Neighbours formed the Beaconsfield Arches Community Action Group (BACAG) to fight the scheme – and they want to lease the site to set up community-based businesses and projects there.
They have support from the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, Caroline Lucas, and Green councillor Raphael Hill, who represents Roundhill ward.
Caroline Lucas said: “My constituents are concerned that the noise impact assessment for the site has only taken into account the jet wash and not the noise of cars being manoeuvred seven days a week within a small area.
“Given the space at the site, my constituents note that when vehicles are moved it will involve several gear changes, use of brakes, engine noise to reposition each car and that this should also form part of the noise assessment.”
She praised the action group for its efforts to bring the site into community use.
One anonymous objector, whose details were redacted by the council, said that the plans “would not be in keeping with the local area at all” because it contains many independent businesses and residential properties.
The objector added: “This would have a negative impact on the gardens and living conditions of the local residents, with a huge increase in noise, light pollution and of course air pollution, with the huge increase in traffic.”
Enterprise said that the company was relocating a branch from New England Street and providing sustainable transport opportunities.
A “heritage and access statement” on behalf of the company said: “Enterprise’s proposals here represent significant investment by the company at this otherwise vacant and long-standing cleared previously developed site.
“To put their investment into context, a new branch typically requires investment of between £500,000 and £750,000 initially to deliver the site ready for occupation.”
The Planning Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 2pm on Wednesday 1 November. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
So it has been empty for a long time. Where was the community plan then ?
Use to be Travis Perkins, arguably a much noisier company. Their current site is creaking at the seams and causes disruption to the traffic so to be fair to enterprise this is a much better location which is pretty much purpose built for them.
A couple of moaning NIMBYs trying to use braking and gear changing noise as a valid argument is laughable. Anyway hopefully they see sense at the council and wave this one through which will make some more commercial space available for other businesses.
Couldn’t agree more. I recall an article here on the same subject some time ago, with one objector claiming that the site is a ‘wildlife corridor’ or similar. These NIMBY’s will invent anything to try and prevent any kind of development near their properties. The site is a former builder’s merchants, so it’s quite right that it is used in a similar way going forward. The ‘we might hear cars braking and chaging gear’ argument is ridiculous.
This is basically next door to Choice Rentals. Also a vehicle rental firm, based under the viaduct on the South bound side. With vehicle storage on that North side too.
Strange to move the competition in next door. Much rather deal with Choice than that multi-national Enterprise.
Kinda confuses the NIMBY argument though as they already have cars and vans moving around there. And it is all drown out by the trains overhead anyway.
So Lucas says there will be gear changing & braking noises, if you can change gear & break without making any noise whilst driving normally on the streets, how come it will make a noise here? also, I doubt if you will get out of first gear until you reach the street anyway & when I was working, I used to use this place quite often, & it was hard to find somewhere to park to collect materials, as it was always full of lorries & vans any time of day, so why didn`t the nimbies complain to the council over all the previous years, It will still only be open similar business hours anyway.
How ridiculous to complain about noise when you have the busiest road in Brighton going past.
I used to use this Travis branch and there were cars, vans and lorries coming and going all day.