Building Opinions: Robert Nemeth
26 Fourth Avenue
It’s no secret that Brighton & Hove City Council’s Planning Department falls somewhat short of the mark. The problem is essentially that there is no can-do attitude – the default position is to confuse and refuse, rather than negotiate and approve. 26 Fourth Avenue, the home of Peter and Edward, is a case in point.
The first planning approval for Nos. 24 and 26 seems to have been by E. J. Love for D. S. Barclay in 1926 for a pair of semi-detached houses. In the event, two matching detached red-brick houses were built, over what was previously the bowling green of the beautiful Hove Club next-door.
No. 26 was turned into two flats with separate entranceways in 1962, then converted back in 2002. Many features remain including huge storage cupboards in the massive attic. Peter and Edward moved in in 2005, and were once asked by the daughter of a previous resident if her mother’s fur coats were still in the loft. They clearly love their home and have submitted a series of applications over the years for various sympathetic improvements including gates, a fence and a porch with a view to matching original features. Fees were paid yet the service just wasn’t there. One application was refused for curious reasons.
There is a distinct lack of similar applications from other residents of the street who have modified their homes in various unsympathetic ways. Given the historic nature setting, one might think that the Council would welcome planning applications that have the potential to enhance the street. It is within the glorious Avenues Conservation Area after all.
If Brighton & Hove City Council wants residents to go to the trouble of submitting planning applications then they must treat them better.
