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Concerned Patcham residents plan to take advantage of a little-used right to make a speech to councillors when they consider a planning application on Wednesday (4 September).
They want to bring a deputation to highlight risks to the water supply for much of Brighton and Hove posed by the Royal Mail’s plans for a distribution centre at Patcham Court Farm, in Vale Avenue.
Their representative, Paul Mannix, of Highview Avenue, intends to speak in particular about the risk to groundwater posed by winter working when Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee meets.
Council planning officials have given their support to the scheme, advising the committee to be “minded to grant” the planning application, subject to conditions.
A report to the committee set out details of the deputation’s case. Mr Mannix cited an email sent from Southern Water to planning officials a fortnight ago.
The email said that Southern Water would not want construction taking place during the winter because this would put Brighton and Hove’s water supply “at risk”.
The site is above a strategic water source known as Brighton A which supplies 139,000 homes in the area – or more than 200,000 people.
Mr Mannix said: “It is clear from Southern Water’s latest concerns that Royal Mail is not adequately taking into account the previous conditions set by Southern Water to ensure the safety of the water of Brighton A which is a strategic water source.
“There are many vulnerable residents in the area very close to Patcham Court Farm – children, elderly and younger adults who are immunocompromised who could suffer significant health concerns and even a risk of death if their tap water supply is contaminated.”
Transport is also a concern. Brighton and Hove Buses wrote to the council a few weeks ago, saying that it would divert buses on the 5 and 5A routes to help Royal Mail staff get to and from work.
But this would only be for a year and would require at least 20 passengers a day to justify continuing with the diversion beyond that time.
Mr Mannix said: “It is public knowledge that Royal Mail in Brighton and Hove are still losing more staff and having to heavily rely on agency staff.
“A high turnover of staff does not guarantee this bus service will get the minimum passenger numbers to continue the service after the first year of service which in turn will lead to more staff parking in residential streets around the site than anticipated by Royal Mail if the bus service is cancelled.”
Mr Mannix has also asked for the application to be called in by the secretary of state – the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, Angela Rayner.
Deputations are more common at meetings of the full council but rare at Planning Committee meetings and speakers are due to have three minutes to make a statement at the committee meeting.
The Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, Siân Berry, said: “Residents are concerned about multiple discrepancies they have identified in the supporting documents Royal Mail have submitted to support their planning application.
“And I agree with many of my constituents in Patcham that this application should not be considered by the Planning Committee until errors and omissions are addressed.
“I submitted an objection setting out my concerns and I have since been back to the council to raise further concerns on behalf of my constituents.
“It’s a complex application and, while I recognise that the council may feel under pressure to bring it to committee for a decision, I am concerned that this may be being done prematurely when further questions are being raised about the accuracy of recent documents the applicant has submitted.
“Clarity is needed on comments which suggest Royal Mail is already trying to push back on conditions which Southern Water put in place to mitigate water contamination risks.”
The campaign group Patcham Against Royal Mail has also asked the council to allow its representatives to speak for three minutes and take questions from councillors at the meeting on Wednesday.
Conservative councillor Anne Meadows, who represents Patcham and Hollingbury ward, is also expected to have three minutes to speak on behalf of residents.
She is concerned about the way that the proposed distribution centre would affect neighbours, citing the Royal Mail’s own objections to housing schemes proposed near its depots in Aberdeen and Belfast.
Councillor Meadows said: “I find it frustrating that this council are still forging ahead with this planning application for a 24-hour operational depot despite the Royal Mail itself claiming that it is too noisy, adds too much light pollution and should not be next door to residential properties.
“The Royal Mail has already put in objections to two other planning applications across the country where residential properties are proposed to be built, using those words to get the applications overturned. You can’t make it up!”
The council’s Planning Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 2pm on Wednesday (4 September). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
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