RESIDENTS remain unconvinced by plans to convert a former boarding school into a housing development despite a public exhibition by developers.

More than 200 people took in the designs for the conversion of St Aubyn’s school in Rottingdean into a 105-home development at a specially arranged public exhibition.

Many who spoke to The Argus after the event remained unconvinced about the benefits of the project, with concerns about the impact of the development on green space in the area, congestion on surrounding roads, a worsening of air quality and the loss of a school site remaining unresolved.

But developers Linden Homes hailed the event as “very successful” and said it would consider the opinions expressed further as it develops a planning application for the site.

St Aubyn’s closed its doors for the last time to students in summer 2013, after 118 years of educating children.

Linden Homes is looking to build a combination of two, three, four and five-bedroom houses, as well as a mix of flats available for open market and affordable prices on the site.

The company, the country’s fifth-biggest house builder, said the development would bring much-needed affordable housing to the area, more than £800,000 to Brighton and Hove City Council in New Homes Bonus and create 157 jobs during its construction.

Brighton and Hove City Council has been developing a planning brief for the site in a bid to encourage any development to retain the main Grade II-listed school building and as much green space as possible.

Sean Flanagan, 66, from The Green, Rottingdean, said: “The plans should never have been presented in the first place.

“I have presented to Linden Homes the fact that the high street, for some considerable time, has been exceeding the UK legal limits on air quality, which is mainly caused by traffic.

“We are not nimbies, we do understand that more housing is needed but this development will smack the life out of the village.”

A Linden spokesman said: “The site is well known to residents and, as such, we heard a wide range of opinion which we will now need to consider further.

“We have to be mindful, of course, of the need to deliver a viable scheme for this site – that is the only way we can provide a number of key benefits for the community, not least new, public open space and affordable homes.”

For more information on the development, visit lindenhomes.co.uk/ community/east-sussex/former-st-aubyns-school-rottingdean.

What the residents think

  • Retired plumber Derrick Ormond, 56, from Marine Drive, said: “It is a shame to see the school go as my grandson went there and did very well. The traffic is terrible in Rottingdean and this will create more pressure on the local amenities.”
  • Sports massage therapist Alison Wilkins, 46, from Steyning Road, said: “I’m really concerned there are so many different planning schemes and we are already a bottleneck for traffic. There’s an issue of trust with Linden Homes as they are going to try and make as much money as they can and we will be left to pick up the pieces.”
  • Bernard Turnbull, 70, from St Aubyn’s Mead, said: “They [Linden Homes] are looking at this site and are evaluating the traffic implications of this site individually but there are more than 150 houses coming to Rottingdean on a number of sites and they will look at those individually but they won’t look at them altogether.”
  • Anita Ormond, 56, from Marine Drive, said: “All the schools are oversubscribed. What is going to happen with more people coming into the area?”
  • Office manager Edward Middle, 38, from Cranleigh Avenue, said: “I would like to see something done that is sympathetic to the village. There seems to be a lot of green space and if something has to happen I would much rather it blend in with the area.”
  • Estate agent Nick Pashby, 25, from Longhill Road, Ovingdean, said: “I get to see a lot of properties around Rottingdean and I have seen similarities with this site in design with woodland walk. The conservation area keeps within the area’s look and from what I have seen I like the plans.”