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Campaigners who spent three years fighting a proposal to build a new Royal Mail depot on a former farm site have spoken out after planning permission was granted for the scheme.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee was “minded to grant” the application to build a new depot at Patcham Court Farm after three hours of deliberations on Wednesday (4 September).
The Royal Mail wants to demolish the existing farm buildings, in Vale Avenue, and build a distribution centre with “associated access, parking, landscaping and infrastructure”.
Campaigners fear that flooding will become more frequent and worse. Heavy rain the next day (Thursday 5 September) brought flooding throughout the village, angering campaigners who highlighted the issue to the Planning Committee.
Patcham resident Rebecca Mintrim said: “People are incandescent that Mott MacDonald (Royal Mail’s water engineering experts) and the council’s flooding team failed to mention that their own survey shows the development will more than double the flood risk in the area.
“The membrane they will put down to protect the aquifer will mean the current water that is absorbed into the ground has nowhere to go but flood.”
Patcham Against Royal Mail campaigners have staged multiple protests outside council meetings for the past four months.
Co-founder Rebecca Kimber was among the protesters outside Hove Town Hall before the meeting on Wednesday.
She said: “This decision is a betrayal. The council has ignored the voices of its citizens, silenced the expert advice of environmental and heritage agencies and ignored planning policies, just to put parcels over people.
“A century ago, the council went to Parliament to protect Patcham Court Farm for its critical role in our water supply.
“Residents are not against development on the site. They just want it to happen responsibly.”
Fellow campaigner Mike Howard said that Patcham’s fight was not over because a request had been sent to the Secretary of State Angela Rayner asking her to “call in” or review the application.
He said: “It is clear that the council wants Royal Mail’s existing depots to become housing and that has been a big motivation for this deal.
“But that doesn’t mean that Royal Mail has to go to Patcham. Other more suitable sites are available.
“We are pro-responsible development. For over a year, residents have been calling on the council to pursue alternative regeneration ideas for Patcham Court Farm that will enhance the city and respect the environmental sensitivities of the land. Royal Mail’s plans are an abomination.”
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