Another retirement home could be coming to Seaford

McCarthy and Stone want to redevelop the site currently occupied by the Seaford and District Constitutional Club on the corner of Crouch Lane and East Street. Plans are awaiting the planning inspector’s decision.

The company would build 19 one-bedroom and 21 two-bedroom units. These would be self-contained retirement living apartments with communal facilities such as residents’ lounge, reception, office, function space and mobility store.

The existing constitutional club would be demolished and relocated into a new premises contained within the new building.

Both Lewes District and Seaford Town council planning officers advocated refusal of this appeal.

Councillor Christine Brett said: “This is another aggressive and un-necessary proposal by a national company that is completely out of keeping with the local area and is not providing the kind of accommodation that we need in Seaford. It will create a monolithic, overbearing building within a network of narrow lanes on the edge of Seaford’s heritage area.

“As I have told the Planning Inspector about the recent proposal they approved near the Downs Leisure Centre, now thankfully withdrawn, this will place even more pressure on the town’s creaking health infrastructure.

"Residents have also spoken about their huge concerns about increasing traffic in streets with poor or no pavements where numerous school children walk daily, as well as adding to the mobility scooters and walkers using the roads and routes which are often blocked to emergency vehicles by poor parking.

“We urgently need affordable homes for young people and families who are being pushed out of the town by these age restricted developments”.

According to the McCarthy Stone application: “The proposals are suitable for the site in terms of land use, amount of development, access, layout and appearance.

"They represent an exciting opportunity to deliver a new well–designed building providing retirement accommodation in Seaford. It is concluded that the proposals are fully acceptable in design and access terms.”

Several objections have already been lodged with Lewes District Council, with some respondents suggesting that the site should be used for affordable housing.

Full details can be found on the Lewes District Council Planning Application LW/22/0356 page.