Plans proposed to turn outdated Brighton office into studio flats
The space, aimed at young professionals, would include 410 co-working desks, reception, a kitchenette, bathrooms, meeting rooms, a cinema room, toilets and printers.
An outdated Brighton office building could be demolished and replaced by hundreds of studio flats aimed at young professionals.
The proposal to build an eight-storey block is recommended for approval when it goes before councillors next Wednesday (8 March).
The application is to demolish Enterprise Point and 16-18 in Melbourne Street, Brighton, and build 269 co-living studio flats and include 941 square metres of co-working business space.
London-based Kosy Co-Living and Crowborough company Cross Stone Securities said that the scheme would include communal kitchens, living rooms, a gym, laundry, landscaping and outdoor space.
The co-working space would include 410 co-working desks, reception, a kitchenette, bathrooms, meeting rooms, a cinema room, toilets and printers.
Cross Stone Securities was involved with a previous application by a Cheshire developer called Vita Brighton 1 at the site for an eight-storey block of more than 300 student rooms.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee refused the scheme in April 2019.
The latest application is next to an £18 million scheme to build a block of 83 “co-living” flats for young professionals on the site of an old garage and joinery in Melbourne Street. The earlier scheme was approved in July 2020.
Neighbours have sent 96 objections and 29 letters of support for the new proposal. Green councillors David Gibson and Steph Powell, who represent Hanover and Elm Grove ward, have also objected to the application.
Both are concerned about the future of property guardians living at the site – and Audio Active which is based in the building and supports young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and challenging backgrounds, through its music project.
Councillor Gibson said: “There is no doubt that Enterprise Point is in need of development. However, other than the welcome payment contribution to affordable housing (of £2.5 million), the proposal does little to alleviate the affordable housing crisis.
“The development provides no affordable housing on-site, and worse, it will entail the loss of the truly affordable living spaces of 40-plus property guardians currently living in Enterprise Point.”
Councillor Powell said: “The current building is five storeys high. In this small plot, the towering proposed build of eight stories will undoubtedly impact light for many nearby properties in Melbourne Street, as well as a number of houses in Shanklin Road.
“I also have huge concerns for the safety and impact on the children of St Martin’s CofE Nursery and Primary School, whose main entrance and play area is nestled right next to the proposed build.”
Neighbours have raised concerns about the lack of affordable housing and the need for family homes in the area.
One objector, whose details were redacted by the council, said: “The area does not need even more accommodation for single transient dwellers. It needs families and people to be able to get a suitable start on an affordable level.
“The proposed development far outnumbers the size, practicality and height of the building that is already there.”
Supportive comments on the council website are single sentences from people saying they are students at Sussex University and welcome the proposed development as they wish to stay in the area when they complete their studies.
A longer supporting statement, with details also redacted on the council website, said: “As a second-year student at the University of Sussex, I am currently living a few streets away from the site.
“This is exactly the accommodation that I will be looking for when leave uni and start my own business here.”
A report into the co-living market by real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) highlighted the demand for single-person households in Brighton and Hove, which comprise 36.4 per cent of the population.
JLL’s report said: “Brighton is facing increased pressure on its housing market due to both increasing population growth and an undersupply of housing.
“This, combined with the demographic make-up of the catchment area around the site, employment opportunities and a high proportion of private renters, combine to establish a demand for a co-living product.”
In its application, Kosy Living said that the existing 1960s building was “underused, defunct and unsuitable for 21st century needs”.
The company’s agent Third Revolution Projects said: “Many of the city’s high proportion of young and professional population cannot afford their own homes or are poorly served by the rental market.
“The applicant’s research has shown that the demographic of the area will be attracted to the quality and communal aspects offered by co-living.
“Rents are all-inclusive and affordable when compared with the rental sector rents (covering bills, council tax and use of all facilities), while offering modern bespoke living, high-quality private and communal internal and external areas for their exclusive use, with facilities that would not exist elsewhere in the private rental sector.
“The benefits are not confined to the quality of new modern accommodation and facilities but extend to hugely important socialisation and community benefits.”
The Planning Committee is due to meet at 2pm next Wednesday (8 March) at Hove Town Hall. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.