NewRiver Officially Submit Plans For Three Floors Of Apartments Above Iceland
19th January 2020 | By Peter Chapman
NewRiver Reit have officially submitted a planning application to Mid Sussex District Council to add two additional floors to 60-64 Church Walk in order to create 15 apartments. The application includes a change of use to allow the existing first floor to be used for residential purposes.
NewRiver own the freehold of the building which is currently home to Iceland. The second floor had been touted as a possible location for a gym or offices, but neither materialised.
In the application, it's stated the 15 apartments will be 'high quality'. The intended mix is for three 1-bedroom apartments and twelve 2-bedroom apartments.
The Planning Statement refers to height and massing, noting:
The majority of the buildings in the immediate vicinity are two and three storeys. The additional height on the building (4 storeys total) will not appear over-bearing in this context, in fact, the proposal would be a similar height to the three storey Jubilee House next door. Accordingly, the proposed height and massing of the proposal is considered acceptable in its context. - Your reporter is really not sure about the claim how a 4 storey-building will be similar in height to one with three. They are already a 'similar' height before adding 2 more storeys to the Iceland building.
Here's how the two buildings compare in height before an additional two storeys are added to Iceland (left)
Car Parking
The applicant is not providing any car parking as part of plans, touting the development as being 'car- free' owing to being located right in the town centre and within walking distance of various public transport links.
The criteria for policy 'DP21' in the MSDC District Plan is claimed to have been met in order to justify the car-free basis of the proposal.
Affordable Housing
Any development over 11 dewellings is required to provide 30% 'affordable' housing. From the planning statement, the applicant refers to an 'Affordable Housing Statement and Viability Appraisal document' which apparently passes the test in policy 'DP31' which waives the affording housing requirement if the scheme is proved not to be financially viable if such a condition were to be imposed.
 The rear of Iceland (right) will look very interesting and less tatty with an additional 2 storeys, but is it going to be too imposing?
Town Council Recommends Refusal
At the Burgess Hill Town Council planning meeting on Monday 13th January, the members decided to recommend that the apllication be refused as the lack of any parking conflicts with the town's neighbourhood plan. These views will be considered at MSDC.
For more information on the application and to leave a comment, look up application number DM/19/4077 on the MSDC Planning Portal here
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