LOCALS of a small town have been left outraged as a popular car dealership has been demolished to make way for 176 new flats.
Frosts Cars in Shoreham, Sussex, will be transformed into a new housing development in a scheme that has prompted considerable backlash.
Four blocks will be put up on the site offering both waterside flats and a 600-square-foot business space.
And 50 of the new units will be reserved for affordable housing.
The local council gave the project approval in March after previously rejecting a redevelopment plan.
The developer has since agreed to reduce the height of the towers and make other alterations to the scheme.
Its design features public green spaces, a tree-lined central avenue and a large roof garden for eventual occupants to enjoy.
However, many residents are still not convinced by the plans.
During the planning stage, the council received 28 letters of objection compared to just one in support.
A note from the Shoreham Beach Residents Association also voiced concerns.
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These mainly centred around parking, with only 79 bays being built to serve the flats, which the Association slammed as “inadequate”.
There were also questions over who would make use of the commercial area.
Posting a comment in a Facebook residents’ group, one critic fumed: “Yet another crazy decision by Adur District Council’s planning committee.
“Most planning committees try to take decisions which make life better for people who live in the area.
“But Adur’s punk plan for Frost’s will make life worse on practically every key measure you can think of.
“Just 30% of the flats will be “affordable housing”, which is a much lower proportion than local demand merits.”
Nonetheless, the planning committee approved the proposals as a “vast improvement” on previous offerings.
Cllr. Steve Neocleous, council cabinet member for regeneration and strategic planning, said: “The plans for the development at the Frosts site have been amended and I am pleased that there has been a reduction in height and a reduction in the density of development for this site.
“We want to support economic growth across the district and the regeneration of Shoreham Harbour is part of that plan as we continue our efforts to modernise the area and make it an attractive place to invest in.
“But our commitment is very much focusing on the environment and that is why we want to use brownfield sites as opposed to having to look at greenfield land to help solve the shortage of housing.”
Conservative councillor Andy McGregor added: “But our commitment is very much focusing on the environment and that is why we want to use brownfield sites as opposed to having to look at greenfield land to help solve the shortage of housing.”
As for Frosts Cars, the business has moved to a new site three miles away on the other side of the River Adur.
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It comes after it was revealed that greedy supermarkets are still charging drivers rip-off fuel prices despite the falling wholesale cost of oil.
Meanwhile, a biker speeding at 150mph and “doing wheelies” was caught thanks to his own footage of his crimes.
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Jacob Jaffa
