By Huw Oxburgh, BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service
A developer has submitted plans for an apartment building in Eastbourne to replace a large detached house.
In an application submitted to Eastbourne Borough Council, a developer is seeking outline planning permission to demolish the home at 273 Kings Drive and replace it with a building containing 20 two-bedroom apartments (credit for top image: Paul Designs).
In a statement submitted as part of the application, a spokesman for the developer argues the council’s housing shortage means the scheme should benefit from the “presumption in favour of sustainable development” set out in national planning rules.
The spokesman said: “There is strong policy support in principle to make the best use of previously developed land, and to provide additional residential accommodation in highly sustainable locations such as this.
“This scheme will provide a useful windfall of some 20 net additional dwellings. This will provide a modest but nevertheless meaningful contribution to Housing Supply focused on small to medium sized market units which will be well suited to smaller households as well as those wishing to ‘downsize’, and freeing up larger properties.
“There is a growing demand within an ageing population for this type of accommodation. Given the extent of the housing shortfall it follows that there is a serious shortfall of all housing types, and this needs to be addressed as a matter of significant urgency.”
The application records the developer as Daniel Short of D & A Houses Ltd, which was established in February 2023.
While an outline scheme, the application sets out how the apartments would be set out across four storeys and have 18 off-road parking spaces to service them.
While details have not yet been agreed, the developer suggests two of the apartments could be classed as affordable homes.
For further information on the proposals, see application reference 240309 on the Eastbourne Borough Council website.
