Planners Reapprove Lapsed Housing Plans

Lapsed proposals to build housing in Seaford have been reapproved by Lewes planners.

In a decision issued last week, Lewes District Council approved an outline planning application seeking to build nine houses in place of a garage and workshop space in Blatchington Road.

The proposals, submitted by Brooklyn Hyundai, were functionally a resubmission of another outline application approved in 2019, which had been followed by reserved matters approval in 2022.

Both of these previous applications had built on a 2009 approval for a similar development.

All the previous permissions to build housing on the site had become lapsed, meaning the planning consent expired due to the passage of time.

In planning documents, a spokesman for the applicant notes how the site is currently used by Brooklyn Hyundai in a variety of ways, including the storage and valeting of vehicles before they are displayed at the business’s main forecourt in Claremont Road.

The spokesman goes on to indicate that the business intends to eventually relocate to larger premises, preferably within the town. The application gives no indication to the timeframe for such a relocation, but says it is a “necessary” measure.

As with the previous schemes, Lewes planning officers considered the proposals to be an acceptable development as long as some elements of the scheme were addressed through conditions.

These conditions would include a requirement for any developer to further investigation into contamination connected with the land’s historic use as a gas works.

In a report setting out the intended decision, a council spokesman said:

“It is considered that the proposed scheme involves the redevelopment of a contaminated, brownfield site in a highly sustainable location that would deliver much needed small housing units.

“It is considered the development could be accommodated without unacceptable harmful impact to the established character of the surrounding area … that neighbour amenities would be preserved, good quality living conditions would be provided for future occupants and that there would be no unacceptable environmental or highway impact, subject to suitable landscaping details being brought forward at the reserved matters stage and additional details which can be secured by condition.

“It is therefore recommended that the application is approved subject to … conditions.”

Planning officers also noted how the site forms part of a wider area identified in the Seaford Neighbourhood Plan as the Dane Valley Project, which involves redevelopment of brownfield land for residential and commercial purposes.

For further information see application reference LW/24/0817 on the Lewes District Council planning portal.