Reader’s letter: Eastbourne council should be ashamed of Meads house planning decision

Regarding ‘Innovative’ Or ‘Overbearing’ Design For Meads House Splits Opinion click here to read:

I am becoming increasing puzzled by the council’s action regarding Eastbourne planning decisions and their inability to follow their own conservation guidelines.

Quote from said guidelines: “The aim is ensure that development is carefully managed and appropriate for the conservation area. This does not mean that all change is prohibited, or that no development can take place rather, is about making sure that development preserves and ideally enhances, the look and feel of the area.

Works that detract from the overall historic or architectural interest will not be permitted.”

It appears the applicant is an architect so it is further difficult to understand why he has ignored this basic criteria and is wishing to demolish a house because it does not meet his personal needs.

The cost of demolishing a house and building new would appear to cost considerable more than altering the existing house.

The new design is poorly conceived and the carbon footprint generated in building it must be enormous.

The roof alone will involve using huge amounts of shuttering and concrete to form the profile. It’s most certainly not innovative and appears to what used to be called Catalogue Architecture, i.e. like taking snippets of buildings in the Architects Journal and stitching them together.

In the times of Peter Endean and Jefferson Collard ,both excellent Eastbourne planning officers, and a qualified conservation committee, this proposal would not be given the light of day plus all the town’s architects felt a responsibility to follow the planning criteria.

I think the affected neighbours should write to the Secretary of State and if possible apply to have the approval rescinded as clearly it has been granted outside the remit of the council’s own conditions.

The planning committee should be ashamed of their poorly reasoned approval.

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