PLANNING permission has been granted for an eight-storey block of almost 40 luxury apartments on a seafront.

The scheme, at 239 to 243 Kingsway in Hove, on the corner of Braemore Road, is for 37 new residential apartments and 26 parking spaces.

Existing properties will be demolished for the development, and there will be seven car parking spaces at the front of the apartment block and 19 at the rear, to be accessed through a gated under-croft entrance.

Plans for the 0.37 acre site are currently being marketed to developers by real estate management company Savills, following a successful planning application to Brighton and Hove City Council.

The Argus: Credit: SavillsCredit: Savills

Detailed planning permission was allowed at appeal on December 18 last year for “demolition of the existing dwellings and erection of a part five, part eight storey building to provide 37 residential dwellings, with associated access, parking and landscaping.”

There is an obligation for two of the dwellings to be affordable, and for these to be sold to a Registered Provider.

If a sale cannot be made, "an alternative affordable housing contribution of £125,244 can be paid in lieu of onsite affordable tenure dwellings", according to Savills.

The flats will be built on the site just west of the tennis courts in Kingsway, with views overlooking the beach.

MAA Architects, who designed the building, say it is inspired by modernist waterfront architecture in London.

The company said the building will include a feature ribbon wrapping around each floor, including the balconies, to create "a notional movement alluding to the tidal rhythm of the English Channel".

Ian Fowler, director at Savills’ Guildford development team, who is handling the sale, said: “This is a very exciting parcel of development land and one that we are expecting a great deal of interest in.

The Argus: Existing buildings will be demolished for the development, which will have views of the beach in HoveExisting buildings will be demolished for the development, which will have views of the beach in Hove

"While there are other sites currently under construction, this is the only consented site in Hove that offers sea views and it will undoubtedly raise the bar further for seafront apartments in the future.

"It also benefits greatly from having excellent connectivity with nearby Hove Station providing direct trains to London in 66 minutes.”

Savills recently updated its five year forecasts and is predicting house prices in the South East’s mainstream market will increase by five per cent this year and by 17 per cent in the five years to 2025.

It means the average house price in the region would increase from £336,984 to £394,271 by 2025.

Nationally, prices are expected to increase by an average of four per cent this year, with 21.1 per cent total growth between 2021 and 2025.