HERTIAGE groups are calling on a Government minister to stop planning approval for a development that would see the demolition of one of Brighton's oldest shops.

Brighton and Hove Heritage Commission has been joined in its bid to save the Timpson shop in North Street by national campaign groups The Georgian Group, SPAB, Brooking National Collection and The Council for British Archaeology.

All the groups have written to the new communities and local government minister Greg Clark calling on him to prevent the planning approval to demolish the shop to create access to Brighton’s new lane.

As the property is listed, the final word rests with the Government which has the power to “call-in” the local authority decision and set up a public inquiry.

However not every conservation group is convinced by the merits of the squat shop standing in the way of progress with the Regency Society, Hove Civic Society and Brighton Society all supporting the demolition plans.

Permission was granted by Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee in April to demolish the grade II listed building to create a new access route into the proposed Hanningtons Lane.

Councillors said the public benefits of the scheme outweighed the loss of the historical building and voted against council officers’ recommendations to reject the proposal.

Interested parties had until last week to send their submissions designed to sway the minister’s opinion one way or another.

In a letter seen by The Argus, the London-based Georgian Group said the project would cause a “substantial and irreversible harm” to the historic environment of Brighton.

The letter continues: “There is already access to Brighton Square from Market Street, Meeting House Lane and Union Street.

“The proposed creation of an access route to Hannington Lane and Brighton Square is barely a public benefit, let alone justification for total loss of a designated heritage asset.”

The group also dismisses the developer case that the Timpson demolition would improve the setting of Puget’s Cottage because the historic interest of the site lies in the relationship of historic buildings one to another.

Chairman Roger Hinton said the Regency Society had supported the original application for demolition and felt compelled to write to the minister after learning of the Georgian Group’s intervention.

Mr Hinton said that the “regrettable” loss of the listed building was outweighed by the public of improving access to Hanningtons Lane, creating a pedestrian route from the Royal Pavilion to the seafront and opening up access to the fellow listed Puget’s Cottage currently obscured behind the shop.

He said: “We feel the public benefit generated from demolishing the building outweighs the loss of a listed building.

“We support it with regret because we don’t want to see listed buildings demolished but there are compelling public benefits.”