New Eastbourne care home plans given final sign-off

On Tuesday (December 10), Eastbourne Borough Council’s planning committee again considered an application to build an 80-bed care facility on land at 282 Kings Drive.

The controversial scheme had been approved in principle at a meeting in October (on a majority vote of five to three), but had not been granted planning permission as further details needed to be put out for public consultations in light of revisions to the original proposals.

Much to the frustration of objectors, only the effects of these revised plans – primarily the potential loss of light to surrounding properties – were considered by the committee.

Speaking on behalf of objectors at the meeting, ward councillor Tony Freebody (Con, Ratton) said:  “The building will still have a negative impact on neighbouring houses, in particular the development is far too close to 284 Kings Drive. 

“This will have an effect of overshadowing and loss of sunlight, especially in the winter months when the sun in lower in the sky. 

“There is also the matter of a loss of privacy for any properties that can be seen into from the upper levels of the development. 

“The light assessment uses Google Earth to determine measurements. I would suggest this is not a sufficiently detailed survey and a full site survey would be more appropriate and give clear evidence to the committee.”

Cllr Freebody also said he still considered the proposal to be an overdevelopment of the site.

A similar argument was made Dr Rowley Cottingham, chairman of The Kings Drive Residents Scrutiny Group, who called for the committee to refuse the application until a detailed survey was provided by the applicant.

The committee, however, disagreed with this view, saying the daylight assessment (which showed the development would not have a significant impact on neighbours) was of an acceptable standard.

On this point, committee chairman Jim Murray said: “The light survey we have applied to this is the same light survey we would apply to anyone looking to build a house here.

“If we start allowing people to come in and do their own surveys and take them as our judgement, then the whole planning system falls apart.

“We have got systems in place, we have got ways of doing things which are tried and tested and this is the result that has come back.”

Cllr Murrary then moved the application be approved, which was agreed without further discussion.

The decision was met with frustration from objectors, with one resident loudly expressing his feelings as he left the council chamber.

The meeting marked the third time the scheme had been before the committee in some form. 

The original scheme was deferred earlier this year after committee directed council officers to negotiate changes in light of concerns over the size and scale of the original proposals.

The revised scheme saw some significant changes including a size reduction from 85-beds and a repositioning of the whole building.

These revisions came back to the committee in October, where the scheme was approved in principle.

For further details of the scheme see 181178 on the Eastbourne Borough Council planning website.