A PLANNING boss has called for more outside of the box developments after Moshimo’s contemporary rooftop restaurant was given the green light.

Branding many current projects “dull and boring”, councillor Julie Cattell, chairwoman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee, suggested the eye-catching Skylight could be a sign of developments to come.

But there has also been criticism that the project was not put before elected councillors because it did meet the required criteria.

Cllr Cattell urged city designers and architects to be bold and challenging and said her committee would support them.

The Labour councillor said: “We as a committee and planning officers are trying to push designers and architects to come up with out of the box and exciting designs. There is lots of dull, boring stuff going through at the moment – projects that are too safe.

“We need to start supporting projects that are challenging. We have made quite clear that we want to see things that are out of the box. We want developers and architects to be bold.”

The Moshimo Skylight, in Bartholomew Square, was given the go-ahead by council planning officers earlier this month following widespread support.

However Roger Hinton, chairman of the Regency Society, said if it had gone to committee it would probably have been refused.

He said: “The design was discussed by our members and we are really very much against it and we are disappointed with the decision.

“It will destroy the character of Bartholomew Square and the wider Old Town Conservation Area. I think with a design so wacky as this is, it should have had a public hearing and councillors should have decided. I think there may well have been a different decision if it had.”

Labour councillor Penny Gilbey, deputy chairwoman of the planning committee, also said she was surprised it was not put in front of them.

Nicholas Rohl, co-founder of Moshimo, said there is a “big vociferous population” in Brighton who “hate anything modern” but said the design would breathe life into the “lacklustre” public space.

Michael Spooner, who is the architect behind it, dismissed the claim it would be out of keeping with the surrounding area, adding that great care had been taken to ensure it was only visible from a few points.

He said: “I spent a lot of time with Historic England walking around The Lanes to see what the visual impact would be. The only place it really comes into view is in Prince Albert Street. Then when you walk a few footsteps further forward it recedes again. I think it is in keeping with the area and respectful.”

‘COMMITTEE WOULD HAVE REFUSED SKYLIGHT PLAN’

PLANNING meetings can be dreary affairs.

Councillors arguing for hours about the gables on home extensions, whether new fencing will block a neighbour’s view and if a new conservatory is in keeping with an area.

But for all the tedium, these meetings allow our elected representatives to thrash out the issues before coming to a measured decision.

It is the same procedure, whether for a new football stadium or an extension to Mr and Mrs Smith’s at number five on the corner.

But incredibly, despite its prominent location and its striking design, Moshimo’s Skylight was pushed through without so much as a public airing.

That is not to say the building is without merit or that the right decision was not arrived at.

But with a project of such importance, it should surely be decided by our elected councillors, not a group of council officers.

Roger Hinton, Regency Society chairman, went as far to say it would have been refused at committee.

He said: “It’s in a conservation area and it’s going to be visible from many of the surrounding streets and that will damage the character of the area.

“We have to be very careful to protect its character because once it’s gone, it’s gone.

“If developments like this are being accepted then I think it is worrying.”

Even the deputy chairwoman of the planning committee, councillor Penny Gilbey, said she was surprised they were not asked to decide on the development.

However, she said she was satisfied that both the council’s heritage officers and Historic England agreed the development would not compromise the character of the area and that it would make a positive contribution to Brighton.

Councillor Julie Cattell, committee chairwoman, explained projects are only decided on by councillors if they meet certain requirements set out by the Government.

All “major applications” have to go before the committee but an application is only deemed major if it includes more than 10 dwellings or if it is for an office or business space of more than 1,000m².

If not a major project, then it can still be heard before a committee if a number of people oppose it.

Even if there is not great opposition, the ward councillors can put it before the planning committee if they have concerns.

As the Skylight did not meet any of the criteria, Cllr Cattell and the rest of the committee had no say over the matter.

However, Cllr Cattell said she was excited by the design and urged developers to come up with similar projects for them to look at.

She said: “As long as it is in the right place, I would like to see more designs like this. I think it is very exciting.

“There are lots of really exciting projects in the pipeline which we are very excited about.”

However, many will see her call for bold designs a contradiction to the council’s decision earlier this year on the King Alfred development.

The design, put forward by Hove businessman Rob Starr and housebuilder Crest Nicholson, was largely panned for its dreary, cheap look.

In contrast, the unsuccessful bid, from Nick Lomax of Brighton’s LCE Architects, received a much better reaction and was viewed as the more contemporary and edgy option.

The Skylight’s designer, London-based Michael Spooner, said the rooftop restaurant would be a boost for the ailing Bartholomew Square while remaining hidden from those who don’t want to see it.

He said: “It will be a great dinning experience with fantastic views of the Old Town and the seafront.

“However, you will not be able to see it from many places. It only really comes into view in Prince Albert Street.

“So I think it is in keeping with the area and respectful.”

He added that more should be done to utilise Brighton’s rooftops and said the design will hopefully inspire others to come up with creative plans.

He said: “I went up the i360 recently and already hotels and businesses are starting to use their roof space.

“In other cities roof areas are used for public spaces and gardens but I think a lot more can be done in Brighton.

“It’s a big opportunity.”

A RESTAURANT VIEW LIKE NO OTHER

WHATEVER you think of the Skylight’s design, it is sure to be a dining experience like no other in the city.

But how on earth will it be constructed and how do they know it will stay up?

Its designer, Michael Spooner, explained that it is supported in much the same way as a bridge, such as the Golden Gate Bridge.

The column and the roof of Bartholemew House perform the same function as bridge pylons giving the middle section strength to go unsupported.

That is not to say the design was not restricted by weight, with Mr Spooner using large amounts of glass and translucent composite panels to minimise the mass.

It will be built in Littlehampton before being shipped to Brighton in parts and assembled using a crane. Mr Spooner expects the final stage could be completed over a weekend.

Inside there will be three distinct dining areas with an open kitchen in the central area.

Mr Spooner said: “What we didn’t want was a dining car experience with row after row after row of tables in a long thin line.

“So instead we have three distinct dining areas. One looks out over the seafront, the central area looks out over the rooftops and the other has views towards the hills and Ditching.

“I think it is going to be a really exiting dining experience.”

Although it is attached to Moshimo, the Skylight will be run as a separate restaurant with its own kitchen and bar area. The golden column not only supports it but contains stairs and a lift.