Offices to be built on Southwick car park

Planning permission was granted to redevelop The Old Town Hall car park, in Albion Street, on Monday (3 October).

Hall Homes Limited will construct a three-storey building with six offices and car parking on the ground floor.

Permission has been granted to turn The Old Town Hall (next door) into flats.

The site is in a conservation area and has seen a number of development proposals dating back to 1985.

A representative of Hall Homes said the offices could create ‘up to 20 jobs’ and will be within reach of public transport.

Design features like air source heat pumps will mean the building reaches the ‘highest sustainability standard’ for commercial developments, according to the developer.

Planning officers at Adur District Council said the offices would be ‘sympathetic’ to the surrounding area and ‘would not dominate the Old Town Hall’.

During a planning committee meeting on Monday, Jeremy Gardner (Lab, St Mary’s) expressed concerns over cars parking on the pavements and surrounding roads.

However, the local highways authority said overspill parking would not have an ‘unacceptable impact’.

Mandy Buxton (Con, Churchill) highlighted concerns from the council’s technical services officers over ‘unacceptable’ drainage arrangements.

But planning officers said this could be addressed later on.

One couple, who live nearby, objected to the offices, claiming that they would look directly over their home and garden.

More information can be found at the council’s planning portal using the reference: AWDM/1633/21.