‘Don’t turn old Royal Mail buildings into luxury homes’

Cabinet members were urged to ensure old Royal Mail properties were not turned into luxury housing as plans for a new delivery depot were agreed.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet was unanimous in backing the proposals at its meeting on Thursday. It is expected to generate about £3 million for council coffers.

Councillors came under fire from Save Patcham from Royal Mail campaigner Rebecca Mintrim, who called out “peppercorn rent” from the gallery as the proposals went through.

Mrs Mintrim led a deputation on behalf of the community at the start of the meeting.

She offered £1 a year from each person in Patcham for the term of the tenancy which would work out as more money than being asked from Royal Mail.

She said: “If the cabinet approves this bad deal, it should be a cautionary tale to our new Chancellor as it will be Brighton’s version of Gordon Brown’s sale of the gold reserves.

“But if you go ahead, we ask you to ensure that Royal Mail’s current properties do not become luxury developments.

“Developers should not be allowed to sidestep social housing obligations by paying penalty fees.

“We also remind the council of its duty to protect Patcham residents from increased pollution, flooding and safety risks if this project proceeds.”

She suggested the site could be used as a solar farm, a tech hub, a tourist centre or low-density housing.

The Labour deputy leader of the council Jacob Taylor, who is also the cabinet member for finance and city regeneration, said that it was right to raise the concern.

Jacob Taylor

Councillor Taylor said that moving the Royal Mail’s distribution centre to the outskirts of the city would remove heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from the city centre.

It would, he said, free up the Denmark Villas sorting office in Hove, and the Brighton office in North Road, for housing.

He explained that preparing the farm site for housing would cost £3.6 million, making a low-density project unviable, and high-density housing would have been opposed by the neighbouring South Downs National Park.

The farm buildings were cut off from the agricultural land when the A27 was built more than 30 years ago and is earmarked for employment use in the city plan.

Leasing the site to the Royal Mail would also keep 380 jobs in the city, he said.

Councillor Taylor said: “The other option is to move to Shoreham – and Shoreham is not in the city so that would be a net loss of jobs.

“It’s not desperately far away but it’s not impossible to see that many posties who live in the east of the city may not want to go and work in Shoreham. So it is retaining jobs in the city and that’s an important consideration.”

The Royal Mail secured planning permission to build the depot at the site in Vale Avenue in September, with more than 1,000 Patcham residents objecting to the scheme.

The council has first refusal to buy the Denmark Villas sorting office site, with a view to developing about 100 new affordable homes as part of its joint venture with Hyde New Homes.

At a special meeting of the place overview and scrutiny committee Conservative councillor Anne Meadows shared her concerns that the lease would be for 250 years. She said that there needed to be a condition to prevent sub-letting in the future.

She was assured during the meeting that the planning conditions restricted the site for use as a Royal Mail sorting office only.

On the deal, Councillor Taylor said that selling the leasehold gives the council some control of the site, and similar lengthy leases were sold for Circus Street and the Marina.

Cabinet member of the environment and net zero councillor Tim Rowkins said currently Royal Mail is operating out of two old and poorly insulated buildings, and stocked by diesel HGVs.

Tim Rowkins Hanover And Elm Grove Labour 2023

He said: “What by contrast is being proposed would see those two sites replaced by a brand new facility, powered by solar and heated with heat pumps.

“The fleet on site would be fully electric and HGVs will be able to access the site directly from the A27 thereby taking them, their particulates and nitrogen dioxide out of the city entirely.”

Cabinet member for transport, parking and public realm councillor Trevor Muten said plans addressed the concerns of people who opposed the planning application because the farm is above the groundwater supply.

Trevor Muten Labour Goldsmid

Councillor Muten said: “The development is not going to poison our city’s water supply, when it is very clear that is the case and also the contaminant risk, will not worsen if developed.”

Council leader Bella Sankey said the negotiations were well under way when she came to the project after taking over the council in May 2023.

Bella Sankey

She went to the site with councillor Gill Williams, listened to the campaigners’ concerns and ensured all options were looked into before making what she believes is the best decision for the interests of the whole city.

Councillor Sankey said: “One of the things I love about this city is how passionate our residents are about our place and how much ownership people feel of this beautiful amazing city we live in.

“How much regard people have for our history and how much people want to preserve and continue as custodians to pass on a a city that works for everybody that people can feel really proud of.”

The cabinet unanimously agreed to grant the 250-year lease and delegated authority to the corporate director for city services in consultation with Councillor Taylor, to negotiate and complete the agreement.