A DECISION on controversial plans to build nine flats on top of a historic perfume factory has been delayed again.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee was due to decide this week on plans for the new housing on top of the former Dubarry Perfume Factory in Hove.

But on the eve of the meeting, the local authority received new information on the possible noise impact that businesses already on the site, which includes a dance school, might have on new residents.

Further consultation and technical work will now be carried out before the application returns before the committee later in the year.

Proposals for the nine flats on the roof of Hove Business Centre in Fonthill Road, Hove, were first submitted in June last year.

Initial designs were withdrawn three months later following discussions with council officers and a new amended application was submitted in November.

The plans were due to be discussed at January’s planning committee but were pushed back for a month to allow committee members to visit the site.

The application has now been pulled from this month’s council planning meeting to be held tomorrow to allow council officers more time to research the impact of the proposed changes.

Resident and former sound engineer Rob Miller said: “It’s good news because it seems at last that somebody is listening to us.

“We have put a lot of information the council’s way on Friday and they have come back and said they will look into it.

“It just seems crazy to us that people will be asked to live above seven dance studios.”

Darren Fell, MD and founder of Crunch Accounting, which operates out of the centre, said he was concerned about possible disruption to his company by building works.

He said his employees needed “peace and quiet” and had already suffered “considerable disruption” during repair work. He said: “I'm extremely concerned, should the planning permission go through, that we will be forced to locate out of our city to an area with more room for growth”.

A council spokeswoman: “A late representation has been received about the Dubarry building application raising fundamental new points in relation to noise.

“It is normal practice to defer making a decision when new information is received at a late stage.

“The application will go before the committee following further consultation and technical opinion.”