A popular cut-through may be closed off if councillors agree to an application to block one gate and restrict access through another.
The shortcut between School Road and Payne Avenue, in Hove, was created about six years ago when an old office block, Rayford House, was turned into flats.
An extension was built there at the same time and a planning condition required the owner to create a public right of way on the south side of the site.
An appeal followed and, in 2023, the outcome was a decision that gave residents a right of way but not the public.
Now, The Pinnacle Freehold Ltd has applied for planning permission to block the access points, including a gate with a lock which would need a code to open it.
The Pinnacle Freehold said, in its planning application to Brighton and Hove City Council, that the leasehold flats there were sold on the basis of having secure on-site parking, with privacy for residents in the grounds.
The company said: “The residents and leaseholders in The Pinnacle have been alarmed at the amount of through traffic resulting from these access points, including many pedestrians, pets, bicycles at high speed and even food delivery motorbikes using the gaps as a short-cut from Payne Avenue to School Road.
“There have also been instances of drug dealing / drug use in the car park and what appeared to be transactions involving stolen goods.
“A number of residents have also had their bikes stolen from the adjacent bike storage area and the access points have provided an easy escape route at night or when residents challenge this behaviour.”
The application is due to before the council’s Planning Committee next Wednesday (4 February). The council has received 112 objections and 30 statements in support.
The two Labour councillors for Wish ward, Bella Sankey and Paul Nann, have written a letter of objection.
Councillor Sankey, who is also the leader of the council, said: “As has been made clear by the number and strength of resident objections to this planning application, the open access currently provided has become an integral part of the sustainable and active travel infrastructure of the surrounding area.
“Encouraging people out of vehicles and on to their feet is essential for health and wellbeing.
“This is especially the case close to schools, as The Pinnacle access points are, with close proximity to the popular and large West Hove Community Primary School and also so close to a railway station, Aldrington, which services a wide catchment of travellers and commuters.”
An anonymous objector, whose details were redacted by the council, said: “I would gently challenge the concerns raised by The Pinnacle Residents Management Company – it is essentially a car park so risks of accidents to people, including children, should be low due to the low speed of vehicle movements.
“I am not convinced with evidence relating to purported criminality either.
“The police website is not particularly user-friendly but it does not highlight any concrete evidence of crime in this area – so I would suggest the concerns are genuine but overstated.”
An anonymous supporter, whose details were also redacted by the council, said: “Keeping this walkway open means that people are constantly walking through our block of flats. At peak hours, it turns our car park into a very busy area.
“Often it also means that kids and teenagers loiter in the car park on their way to school. This adds to an unsafe feeling around the block of flats.”
Another anonymous supporter said: “The route through the car park was never intended to serve as a public right of way.
“There are safe, well-lit alternative routes via neighbouring streets that add only a short distance for pedestrians, meaning closure will not materially disadvantage the wider community.”
The council’s Planning Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 2pm next Wednesday (4 February). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
One comment on here say it was never intended to serve as a public right of way… when in fact, it was. It was part of the planning agreement that a public right of way is permitted. The flats were sold, in the knowledge of the public path and therefore should not be surprised that it would be used by the public. It’s not dissimilar to when one complains about the noise of school children or those leaving a pub, when they have moved next to in close proximity to the aforementioned mentioned. Get a grip people!!
“Often it also means that kids and teenagers loiter in the car park on their way to school. This adds to an unsafe feeling around the block of flats.”
Imagine being scared of kids and teenagers, get a grip.
The villification of children
Really hope the residents get their protection they are asking for.
I am agnostic as I don’t live there, but looking at the map, to say that it won’t materially affect other residents is not true. If you lived on Kingsthorpe Rd and wanted to walk to Aldrington station it would add 5 minutes to your journey
I am the sole leaseholder at The Pinnacle—all other residents are freeholders. The planning application claims “leaseholders have been alarmed” by this access route, but this is factually incorrect. I am the only leaseholder at the building, and I was never consulted about this application. I only learned of it through this news article.
More significantly, when I expressed interest in purchasing the freehold last November, another resident deliberately vandalized my vehicle—twice within a week. The police recorded this as a crime. The management company has failed to address this or to communicate with me about any of these matters.
As someone who has spent years commuting for over an hour each day, I understand how precious those ten morning minutes are for residents. That’s time for breakfast, time to check your home before leaving, time to prepare for a long commute.
I believe this access route should remain open to the public. This should be decided based on genuine community benefit—not on technical property rights. The claim that leaseholders are alarmed is a fabrication designed to serve the interests of those who benefit from restricting access.