A striking 20-storey tower is at the heart of new plans to transform a derelict military base.

The Preston Barracks site in Lewes Road, Brighton, has been earmarked for hundreds of homes for people on the council waiting list, properties for sale and commercial space which could provide more than 1,000 jobs.

Developers were given extra time to work on their proposals after their first submission was found to be unaffordable.

The latest plans, produced by Chichester Diocesan Housing Association (CDHA), architects Broadway Malyan and commercial developers Wilson Bowden, include less office space and more homes than the original scheme.

Commercial space has been reduced by about 1,000sqm, to 18,706sqm, and the number of homes increased from 412 to 502, which includes 200 affordable units.

The consortium is also looking at widening the scheme to include the nearby Pavilion Retail Park, which contains B&Q, Halfords and Comet stores. One option would involve bulldozing the 20-year-old site and rebuilding from scratch.

The latest changes, which are an attempt to make the £100 million scheme viable, mean the number of jobs forecast to be created has fallen from 1,221 to 1,183.

But councillors gave it their blessing at a meeting of the policy and resources committee last week.

Rhys Daniel, the CDHA's commercial director, said: "We have explored every option to produce a deliverable scheme which meets the aspirations of people and businesses.

"We are confident our work reflects the vision and spirit of modern Brighton and Hove and will create a vibrant new neighbourhood."

On the current timetable the developer's first planning application would be submitted to the council by October 2006.

If successful, construction work would begin in 2007 and the site completed by 2013 - 11 years after the council bought it from the Ministry of Defence with the help of the South East England Development Agency and Brighton and Hove Regeneration Partnership.

The offices and homes could not come too soon. Brighton and Hove is facing a pressing shortage of both and it is hoped the new development will help tempt large businesses to relocate to the city as well as providing high-quality facilities for smaller start-up companies.

Tony Mernagh of the Brighton and Hove Business Forum said: "We are definitely short of large, good-quality office space and that is what we need to attract more big employers. It's unfortunate progress is taking this long but understandable given the nature of the site. This scheme is better than the original one."

Regeneration councillor Don Turner said: "These are exciting proposals which can meet the high aspirations demanded of the development."

Developers are drawing up plans to consult the community on the latest proposals and a transport study will be conducted in the Lewes Road area to calculate the effect of the development on air pollution and traffic.

Environment councillor Gill Mitchell said: "The project has improved but additional work is required to mitigate the transport and traffic implications on the Lewes Road to support our air quality management programme."

Friday, November 18, 2005