‘Please deny planning permission’: Eastbourne residents go against plans to turn hotel into house share

The Savoy Court Hotel on Cavendish Place has had plans submitted to Eastbourne Borough Council with hopes to turn it into a house of multiple occupation (HMO).

The plans say the hotel would have 29 bedrooms with shared facilities and a self-contained one-bed flat. The hotel dining and kitchen area will be re-purposed to become the shared facilities.

This comes after the original application was refused so developers have come back with another submission.

According to the plans, “This will provide much needed additional accommodation in the area and the proposal is based upon the building no longer being financially viable for hotel use.”

Developers says there will be no alteration to the original exterior structure of the building and there will be ‘few internal alterations’ but they will be ‘removing poorly conceived subdivisions’.

Plans say, “The proposed conversion avoids further degradation or loss of the building fabric and will enable the failing hotel to have new and viable future.”

The existing garden will be ‘brought back to life’ too with a patio area, bin area and bike storage, plans say.

This comes after the hotel was in the news in September last year because it was used by Brighton council to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people.

Residents have spoken out against the plans, with concerns around anti-social behaviour and parking availability.

Agnieszka Hein said, “Cavendish Place is listed as a tourist area, this means no big HMOs should be allowed. We have too many HMOs in the area as it is.

“Adding another 30 homeless people/students/ex-convicts to it will ruin that and increase anti-social behaviour and perhaps crime and violence in the area.”

Dennis and Felicity Heard-White, who live in the area, said, “Our residential neighbourhood has been already blighted by the social problems emanating from the existence of three HMOs in our street. This has included overt drug use, urinating in the street, intimidation to neighbours, verbal abuse and shouting late into the night and early mornings.

“Countless complaints to the police by residents have failed miserably to stop this anti-social behaviour disrupting life in what was once a peaceful residential road.”

Resident Jonathan Gunnell said, “There are already a large amount of HMO properties in this area and have been shown to be a casual link to the amount of anti-social behaviour in the Devonshire ward.”

Mr Gunnell also stressed that parking would become an issue if the plans went ahead, something Julia Emerson echoed.

Ms Emerson said, “There is no parking planned for this development and yet an extra 60+ people could be trying to find somewhere to park in our already over-stretched zoned parking.

“There is already a horrendous problem with drug users/alcoholics gathering just by the pier and this could be a real danger to vulnerable people in temporary accommodation, maybe trying to get back on their feet, let alone the impact upon us permanent residents.

“Please deny planning permission on this enormous HMO.”

According to the council website, the targeted end date for the resubmission is April 6.