Traffic fears over 125-home plan for Mile Oak

They have raised their concerns as housing association Clarion seeks planning permission for details of an estate that was given outline approval in September 2017.

The details include the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the buildings on the estate off Overdown Rise and Mile Oak Road in Portslade.

Clarion hopes that Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee will give its backing next Wednesday (June 12) despite objections from dozens of neighbours.

North Portslade ward councillor Peter Atkinson has also opposed the scheme because of the impact on the local doctors’ surgery, bus services and congested roads.

Councillor Atkinson said: “Patients already have to use ‘callback’ as opposed to face to face appointments at Mile Oak Medical Centre.

“This facility would need major additional investment to cope with the extra demand that this development would inevitably create.

“Buses are often full by the time they get to central Portslade from Mile Oak at peak times, so any more passengers getting on in Mile Oak would impact significantly on passengers further down the route.”

One anonymous comment on the council’s website said: “The additional traffic that this will impose on the area will be a major concern as we do not have the infrastructure to deal with this, the roads are narrow and are already busy at peak times.

“The schools near by will struggle to cope with the demands of the additional 250 (assuming that all houses have two children) students when the development is done.”

Council officials have recommended that Clarion pays a developer contribution of more than £650,000 to cover the additional cost burden on local schools.

This would include almost £162,000 for nurseries, £185,000 for primary schools, more than £255,000 for secondary schools and nearly £53,000 for sixth forms.

Another anonymous objector wrote: “Mile Oak cannot support more traffic.

“Mile Oak is a very small part of Portslade stretching from the north side of Chalky Road to the Downs.

“A tremendous amount of building has been done here over the years and we are now virtually gridlocked.

“Getting out of Heathfield Drive can been especially hard when there are several buses parked.”

Clarion has applied to build a mix of detached and semi-detached houses and flats, mostly two storeys high, using mixed bricks, with some features in red brick. It asked for some homes to have red tiles on the front.

Its plans are for eight one-bedroom flats, 16 two-bedroom flats, 40 two-bedroom houses, 54 three-bedroom houses and seven four-bedroom houses.

The plans include 50 affordable homes – a mix of flats and houses – of which 28 would be for rent and 22 for shared ownership. Six would be wheelchair accessible.

The original scheme was submitted by housebuilder Crest Nicholson.

The application is due to be discussed by the council’s Planning Committee next Wednesday (12 June) at Hove Town Hall. The meeting is scheduled to start at 2pm and should be open to the public.