New group launches fight against towers (From The Argus)

New group launches fight against towers

7:29pm Friday 23rd November 2007 in News By Rachel Pegg

Residents trying to block tower blocks from being built at Brighton Marina have formed a new campaign group.

Save Brighton has been set up to oppose the plan to build a further 1,294 homes at the marina.

A planning application has been submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council and is expected to be decided at a planning meeting next spring.

The new application includes a 28-storey tower on the site of the existing Asda supermarket, a 17-storey tower on the site of McDonald's and an 11-storey block built on the site of the eastern side of the multi-storey car park.

It has been submitted by Explore Living on behalf of X-Leisure, the owner of the commercial parts of the marina, and Parkridge Developments, which owns much of the rest of the land and was responsible for the waterfront development.

Earlier this year Brunswick Developments was granted planning permission for 853 homes including a 40-storey tower, which would be built on a platform over the Spending Beach.

Brian Simpson, a leading committee member of Save Brighton, previously campaigned against that application by Brunswick.

The psychologist, who lives in The Cliff, Roedean, said residents want to stop the marina growing to what would be four times its current population if all the plans are given the green light.

The 28-storey tower, he said, would be as tall as Sussex Heights, Brighton's tallest building.

He said: "Brighton is an architecturally splendid town and we will not let development greed ruin it.

"This scheme, with its towering carbuncles, is all too reminiscent of the disastrous developments of the Sixties.

"New housing may well be needed in Brighton and Hove, but it is hard to imagine a more unsuitable place to build a multi-tower-block housing estate than Brighton Marina.

"Developers want to exploit current home-building targets to push ill-considered schemes through the planning process that in normal times would have been rejected out of hand.

"But what they hope will be easy money for them would be a disaster for Brighton."

Save Brighton claims the scheme would ruin the skyline, cause congestion and make it very difficult to park at the marina.

The group already has about 50 active campaigners and has had 900 visits to its website www.savebrighton.com.

People who would like to join, support or help the campaign are being invited to email enquiries@savebrighton.com.