A former jobcentre could be turned into flats by Nicholas van Hoogstraten’s sons.
The former office block was put on the market over the summer by Austin Gray, just before the jobcentre closed in July.
Now Warwick Trustees Ltd, one of several companies owned by the notorious landlord’s sons Miximilian Hamilton and Alexander Hamilton, has applied to turn Boundary House in Portslade into 18 flats.
The change would be classed as permitted development, which means the change of use does not need to be approved by Brighton and Hove City Council as long as it complies with planning policy.
But neighbours of the block are concerned that the changes will mean a loss of privacy.
In a comment left on the council’s planning portal, one neighbour said: “The north facing windows of Boundary House
overlook directly into our living room and bedroom.
“Whilst being used as an office this only affects us between 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, which is not a problem. If this was to change to residential use, we would be looked at 24/7, including evenings and weekends, a complete loss of our privacy
Another said: “Having 40 new residents in such close proximity will create a lot of noise, and the additional pressure on parking and traffic will further worsen the already strained local roads.”
One of the main external changes would be removing the main entrance doors opposite the trainline, with residents entering around the back via the car park to the north of the building.
It’s not clear whether Warwick Trustees Ltd has already bought the site. Current Land Registry records state the freehold and leashold are still owned by the government.
However, it can take several weeks for details to be updated.
The block is still advertised for sale on Austin Gray’s website. No price is listed, but offers are invited.
How many kids have Hoog. got?
Is English your first language?
Yes because God forbid an English speaker has a typo on the word “has”… 🙄
If you consider ‘have Hoog got’ to be acceptable English, you too are a lost cause.
The ‘got’ is an execrable irrelevance, foisted upon us by transatlantic garbage, social media and other Internet junk.
Some of us were taught the English language, in schools, by schoolteachers. People read books, not having heads glued to phone screens.
The correct response to the above, from today’s illiterate, below-average mouth breathing yob is, I understand, ‘OK, boomer’.
Guilty as charged- God help today’s generation.
Never made a mistake whilst typing? Sometimes Autocorrect develops a ind of its own too.
I’ve found at least three grammatical errors in your silly reply. Grow up.
Hi Callum,
I note that you haven’t mentioned these alleged grammatical errors.
Are you not too sure of your ground? That might be an expression you haven’t encountered, since you apparently side with the less literate.
Grow up, yourself – opinions and criticism are valid comments.
Larry
blimey! that is scraping the barrel to hang a story about a planning application on to Nicholas van Hoogstraten’s sons: Deuteronomy 5:9-10 says, “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving kindness to thousands [of generations, see 7:9], to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” But in Deuteronomy 24:16 it says, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.”
And common sense says “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. Make of that what you will….
I’ll bet you’re great fun at parties….
Quoting a work of fiction is not gonna help put your point across.
Hoogstraten has been a know criminal and small time time thug for so many years. How long do you have to play with him and his family?
Omg 😱 his sons are just as violent as him I’ve been attacked by one of them not saying names and yes it’s been an officer if people live there in flats every ones private gardens will not be any more let alone the traffic problems there will be but know delt there will be trouble and violents if some one don’t get his way all these off shore companies back handers who do they all lead back to I Wonder 🤔 !!!????
You people need to get lives🤣🤣🤣🤣 this is not news and why do you care what other people are doing?
Brighton is full of obsessed nosey people with NO lives.
I’ve worked with Max before and he’s genuinely a nice person. You can’t judge someone by the parentage.
Omg 😱 his sons are just as violent as him I’ve been attacked by one of them not saying names and yes it’s been an officer if people live there in flats every ones private gardens will not be any more let alone the traffic problems there will be but know delt there will be trouble and violents if some one don’t get his way all these off shore companies back handers who do they all lead back to I Wonder 🤔 !!!????
Miximilian ?
Council should stop this, surely the leader of the council have a gripe with these lot following the minors going missing from his fathers home office hotels. The council could buy it, borrow over the long term at low interest rates and develop more council housing. Repay via rents,
Everyone wants more housing stock but no one wants it next door. Nimbyism is not sustainable if we want enough housing to bring all of our rents/mortgages down. The real issue here is whether, if the building is indeed sold to developers, the accommodation will be luxury or affordable. My bet is the former, unfortunately.
That’s exactly the feeling I was left with having read the comments.
My only comment is that the phrase “the entrance opposite the Trainline” is really horrible. There is a railway track and a railway station. There are trains running on the track and trains serving a station.
Anything linked to the Hoogstraten name is going to be dangerously dodgy!
It gets me that people harp on about hoogstraten, their is lots of people in this country that are far worse landlords, every town has hordes of them that charge extortionate rents for shit holes, the trouble is a awful lot of our tax goes to these people through housing benefit.. Nick is more honest than most mps and the tax dodging rich people that live in this country
I worked at their hotel in The drive in Hove.
In all honesty , the sons are very polite young men who will always say their please and thank yous which quite shocked me at first having read things about them online , by them I mean as the whole family.
Yes himself Hoogstraten has a past but from his stories and hearing them from the horses mouth at times I made my own judgement with what’s in the media . The guy is just a typical business minded individual maybe a bit obsessed some may say selfish etc etc but he would at times borrow me money when I was short at no interest for example , got me a studio flat although I didn’t stay with the company for so long as I felt I was going in the wrong direction career wise as the hotel really wasn’t a hotel for the public as such and there was no way I was going to develop my career there in hospitality as everything just seemed old school as the man himself very old school .
But the discipline the man has , does not drink nor smoke maybe did when younger but still how many men of his age do you see in weatherspoons on a daily basis for example. I think people need to grow up and worry about their own business in all honesty.
Remember no one is perfect!