Eastbourne planners turn down extra storey on block of flats

Officers used delegated powers to turn down a bid to put the extra floor on Torfield Court, a purpose built block which is surrounded by a conservation area.

The application by owners of the freehold of the block in St Annes Road is believed to have been the first permitted development rights application in Eastbourne following the government’s changes to planning regulations brought in last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

That meant it did not have to go before a meeting of Eastbourne’s planning committee but needed council approval.

The extra storey would have provided for a further six apartments.

In refusing the application, the council’s senior planning officer Leigh Palmer said the increase in the building’s height would harm the Torfield Conservation Area and the development would not be sympathetic to the local character or history of the area.