BUDD

Do you want this on your skyline?
Some facts and figures about the THE BEETHAM TOWER
• It would be 42 storeys, 403 ft tall
• It would tower above Sussex Heights (330 ft)
• It would include include a 200 bedroom, 4 star hotel, conference facilities, a health & fitness centre, shops,
• 171 flats, 40 affordable units with a variety of tenure

There is outline planning permission for a 7 storey hotel on this site, the extra (mostly private) housing proposed has increased the building’ s size by a factor of six!

Liverpool-based developers Beethams are proposing a 42-storey tower block for New England Square on Brighton Station Site. Although outline planning permission exists for a seven-storey hotel on the site, they want to add an additional 35 storeys, mostly of luxury private flats. If allowed this would be the tallest tower in Sussex. It would be visible for a 20-mile radius, over 70% of Brighton and Hove, including from across the Downs.

It would dwarf the Grade II listed Station and the Grade 1 listed St Bartholmews church and irrevocably change the character of the Brighton townscape.

It ignores the agreed uses for the station site, which were themselves the product of long negotiations with local communities and other parties.There has been neither reference to nor regard for the local community in developing ideas for this development.

Buildings of this height are environmentally unsustainable in terms of construction and maintenance costs. There is no evidence that this represents efficient development. It will generate few jobs once built.

It will cast deep shadow to the north, including over the site of nature conservation interest, and over other public areas.

Keith Taylor, Green Party councillor for St Peter’s and North Laine says: "This overdevelopment is neither what the community needs nor what the council said it wanted".

What do you think? Please write immediately with your comments to the Council. Send to the address below (not to the developer, as stated in the Argus and the Leader). All comments received will be taken into account as the council decides whether to approve or refuse the plans.

The Development Control Officer
Brighton & Hove City Council
Hove Town Hall
Norton Road
Hove
BN3 3BQ

Ref BH2005/00136/FP Full Planning BRIGHTON STATION SITE - BLOCK J

You can also download a form/flyer in PDF format for yourself and others to fill in.