11-storey high tower block in Burgess Hill would be an ‘eyesore’ say councillors

NewRiver submitted revised plans for the £65million project to transform the Martlets Shopping Centre in October last year after going back to the drawing board.

The developer held two public consultation open days to get feedback on the final proposal, which includes increased space for commercial leisure and an increased amount of residential units.

But town councillors have since raised concerns about the revised plan, which they say includes a ‘totally out of character’ 11-storey high apartment building.

Councillor Janice Henwood (LDem, Franklands ward) said: “My concerns are the revised NewRiver application has changed considerably to the one in 2015.

“It is proposing an 11-storey high apartment building and in the previous application it was six to seven storeys high.

“There has been no explanation – we can only assume that they will get more money.

“It is not appropriate – we have nothing as high as that – it would be an eyesore. It is higher than the steeple on St John’s Church which is a Grade II listed building. And it would set a precedent.

“It also goes against policies in the District Plan. We should be adhering to it – we waited long enough for it.”

Councillor Robert Duggan (Green, Franklands ward) said he was concerned the 11-storey block would be a ‘foot in the door’ for further high-rise development.

“I object to it because it is totally out of character for the town,” he said, adding: “Such further development certainly would, casting long concrete shadows over St John’s and disrupting the skyline of the whole town.”

Councillor Anne Eves (Green, Leylands ward) said: “I am appalled at the idea of an 11-storey skyscraper in a market town. Such a tower will dwarf the church.

“It will overshadow the ‘roof garden’ on the lower part of the block of flats. It will cause high winds.

“Such towers tend to look ok at the start but decidedly jaded after 20 years. And once we have one high-rise, what’s to stop the developers of The Brow applying for the same 11 storeys?

“As one of the townspeople said to the town council, ‘New River has had a free ride’. The deal they were handed by the previous MSDC administration led to the destruction without replacement of The Martlets: we’ll be paying for its replacement, the Beehive, for years.

“NewRiver are not even being called upon to provide any ‘affordable’ flats among the 171 they want to build, despite national rules which stipulate that 30 per cent should be ‘affordable’.”

In response, Justin Thomas, director of NewRiver, said: “As part of our proposals for the redevelopment of Burgess Hill town centre, we will be introducing new homes that will play a key role in adding vibrancy to the town centre.

“These homes will help to transform the town centre, supporting the delivery of a number of new amenities for residents, including facilities such as the new library.

“We have worked closely with our architects and the local planning authority on our proposals. A number of design review panels have taken place and we have incorporated feedback into our submitted proposals, in order to ensure they meet the requirements outlined by the local authority.

“We look forward to the determination of our planning application and delivering this step-change for Burgess Hill.”