Brighton and Hove could face housing shortfall (From The Argus)
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Brighton and Hove could face housing shortfall
2:10pm Monday 18th March 2013 in News By John Keenan
Brighton and Hove has a 4,500 housing shortfall
A planning expert is warning that Brighton and Hove is heading for a shortfall of 4,500 homes.
Paul Burgess, boss at planning company Lewis & Co, has branded Brighton and Hove City Council’s house-building plans for the next 20 years “topsy-turvy”.
He has also called on the Government to reject Brighton and Hove City Council’s attempt to sidestep changes in planning rules.
The council says thousands of businesses could be forced out of the city if new planning rules allow developers to transform offices into homes.
Mr Burgess, director at the firm in Port Hall Road, said the council’s draft city plan, which will direct planners until 2030, will not provide enough homes for residents.
He has urged the council to amend the plan or face rejection by Whitehall.
Homes shortfall
The council says the city needs 15,800 new homes by 2030 but only has room for 11,300.
Mr Burgess said the city’s neighbours will not help to plug the 4,500 shortfall.
He said: “The council’s logic is topsy-turvy – it has discovered how many homes it is able to provide and made that its target, rather than finding out how many are needed and striving to achieve that figure.
“It is crucial that the city plan is as robust as it can be before it is submitted to Government.”
Tony Mernagh, executive director at the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said: “You can’t plan for the future if you have no control over how much employment space you will have.
Homes and jobs balance
“The problem with the new rule is that it allows practically any and all office space to be converted on a whim, not just the old offices that no one wants.
“Checks and balances have to be applied to the equilibrium between space for homes and jobs.”
Deputy council leader Phelim Macafferty said: “The city plan is robust, practical and will bring forward sustainable development whilst providing homes, jobs, schools and other facilities that our residents and businesses need.
“The case the council has submitted to Government cautions against the prospect of the unmanaged loss of employment space when an up-to-date Employment Land Study highlights shortages across the city.”
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Comments(7)
mustaphaLeeko
says...
2:59pm Mon 18 Mar 13
I can think of one employment space that they have said has to be knocked down within 2 years that currently houses (have they all moved over yet?) thousands of workers.... the old American Express headquarters building....
What is required in Brighton is SUITABLE office space for medium to large sized companies, that is MODERN with all the right facilites - networked, air conditioned, lots of light, open plan spaces, PARKING (bet the Greens have fallen over at that thought!) and not the rubbishy old 1960's rabbit warren offices that can and should be knocked down or converted!
There is plenty of office space vacant in Brighton, a lot of it not suitable for modern sized businesses to grow into, forget all this rubbish about small startups, they can't afford to rent them anyway hence the rent a desk offices that spring up!
The Greens couldn't plan a p*ss up in a brewery, unless it's an Ale and Sandals do at their favourite Earth & Stars Pub on Church St, lol.
MegA69
says...
4:20pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Valerie Paynter
says...
8:51pm Mon 18 Mar 13
MegA69 wrote:The 20 weeks says more about you than about the planning department, my dear.
Brighton planning department is hopeless. I recently had a straight forward construction submitted – instead of getting the decision in 8 weeks it took 20 weeks. Can you imagine if every business had a 250% overrun on timelines? No explanation, no sorry, nothing. Who holds them to account? No-one – the architects are all too frightened to challenge them for their ineptitude.
How many conditions did you end up with?
How much information was missing, in need of revision or very slow in being supplied?
Did you give good explanations, say sorrry for your own failures? Did you submit a line-perfect application?
Why do I doubt that.
mimseycal
says...
9:20pm Mon 18 Mar 13
It took 11 months, after an OT assessment, and it eventually took a deputation to the Housing Committee before a ramp was built for a severely disabled woman.
The guidelines state that 16 weeks is the longest an adaptation for access should take from assessment to completion.
Maxwell's Ghost
says...
6:59am Tue 19 Mar 13
It seems to believe the city should be populated by home based consultants living the super fast broadband dream.
However, if you need a boiler fixed in Bear Road please refer to Google.
Omnishambles_1
says...
3:18pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:If it was just a sprinkling of snow, what are you moaning about?
As a sprinkling of snow caused the suspension of all bus services in the city last week the council clearly does not take its responsibility to keep commerce operating very seriously.
It seems to believe the city should be populated by home based consultants living the super fast broadband dream.
However, if you need a boiler fixed in Bear Road please refer to Google.
MuammarQaddafi says...
2:51pm Mon 18 Mar 13