'Cabin' fear for town centre

FEAR of too many temporary buildings in the town centre led councillors to object to plans for a Portakabin store behind the main shopping parade in Seaford.

Managers at Personal Service Travel, which has a branch in Broad Street, have applied to put up a cabin at the rear of their property for storage purposes.

But at a town council planning meeting last week, members thought it would overcrowd the centre and set a precedent.

Cllr Les Whittle said: 'To me, this would be a serious over-development of the area. If we allow this to go ahead, they could all start asking for Portakabins in Broad Street - then we'd be in trouble.

'It's an extension by any other name. If they need more space, they can apply for a proper brick-built extension. I don't like these temporary cabin things.'

Cllr Jean Whittle added: 'It would be ridiculous to try to squeeze something like that into such a small gap.'

A majority of members objected to the idea and their fears will be relayed to the district planning authority, which has the power to grant or refuse permission.

However, some town councillors spoke in support of the idea. Eddie Collict said: 'If it won't cause a problem for anyone else and it will help that business keep going, I can't see any real reason to object.

'If we don't allow this, they may be forced to move out of town. I'm inclined not to get in their way.'