Homes on border of West Sussex and Brighton & Hove to be considered again

The application, for land east of Manor Close, Portslade, was deferred in December because members wanted to know if emergency vehicles would be able to get in and out of the site easily.

They also wanted time to actually visit the area.

A report to the meeting, which will be held on Monday (January 7), said that no response had yet been received from East Sussex Fire & Rescue.

There is currently no way for cars to get on to the site, but the application includes the creation of a new access from Gardener Street.

The council received dozens of objections to the plan, including a petition signed by more than 50 people, with concerns including safety, traffic, overdevelopment and the impact on wildlife.

The land is home to slow worms, which the planning committee was told would be trapped and moved to another site.

In December, some members described the site as ‘weird’ and ‘a big old mess’, adding that parking was a ‘shambles’ which would ‘only cause problems for emergency access’.

Planning officers have recommended that the application be approved.