Cllr. Marianna Ebel

BH2021/00282 - Unit 3, Goldstone Retail Park

25^th February 2021:

I am objecting to planning application BH2021/00282, which is a variation to the recently approved planning application BH2020/00549, based on the issues outlined below.

The site itself is situated just outside the Goldsmid ward and I would usually not object to planning applications for sites not based in the Goldsmid ward. However, in this particular case I feel I have to make an exception as the site is bordering properties within the Goldsmid ward, whose residents will be extremely negatively affected should the proposed variation be approved.

Under the recently approved planning application BH2020/00549 the Lidl Superstore would be allowed to receive deliveries between the hours of 07:00 - 18:00 between Monday to Saturday. This is detailed in condition 13 of the approved planning application BH2020/00549. This condition was attached to the planning application to “safeguard the amenities of the occupiers of neighbouring properties and to comply with Policies SU 10 and QD27 of the Brighton & Hove Local Plan”.

Lidl Superstore are now applying for an extension to 07:00 - 21:00 Monday to Saturday and 08:00 - 18:00 on Sunday.

Residents of Goldstone Lane have raised valid concerns that an extension of the delivery hours would impact their daily life very negatively.

The noise levels already pose a strain on nearby residents’ lives. Residents have informed me that the noise from the retail park over many years has been very stressful. Residents are having to wear earplugs in order to not be woken up by the lorry noise and noise caused by the working environment (e.g. people shouting across the car park / delivery bay whilst lorries are unloaded). Currently, Sundays are the only days where residents in Goldstone Lane can rest and enjoy some peace and quiet in their homes and gardens.

Whilst the existing residents in Goldstone Lane already report a negative impact on their daily lives, the impact for the future residents of the planned Kap scheme (approved planning application BH2018/03356) will be even worse. This fact has even been admitted by the applicant, who writes in their covering letter:

“The closest existing residential properties to the Lidl deliver bay are those within the new terrace on Goldstone Lane, nos. 4-14, of which the latter is the nearest at just over 35m from the delivery bay to the rear in a south-easterly direction. However planning permission for a mixed-use residential development directly to the rear of the site (part of the ‘Kap’ scheme) was granted planning permission on 29th September 2020 under planning ref: BH2018/03356. Once build, a number of those units will be positioned just over 16m away from the Lidl foodstore delivery bay and it is those units that will potentially suffer the greatest noise impact.”

The Kap scheme has not yet been completed, therefore any future occupants of the Kap scheme are not able to object to the variation of the opening times. However, as you can see in the many objections submitted, the existing residents in Goldstone Lane are already testifying that the noise level at the current hours are a big strain on their everyday lives. How much worse would this be for the future residents of the Kap scheme, especially if the delivery hours were extended?

I ask you to refuse planning application BH2021/00282 so that existing and future residents in the area can at least enjoy their evenings and Sundays without noise disturbances.