Developers have returned with a more modest offering to fill the void left by the collapse of a seafront hotel a decade ago.
The Hyde Group has revealed new plans for the Sackville Hotel site in Kingsway, Hove, after going back to the drawing board for almost nine months.
The newly proposed nine-storey building of 64 flats is a significant reduction from the 17-storey Sackville “sausage” which was withdrawn in March after attracting hundreds of objections from residents.
A fight over the future of the site remains on the cards though with Hove Seafront Residents Association unhappy with the short notice given for a public exhibition on the plans.
The former 45-bed Sackville Hotel building was demolished in 2006 following its partial collapse during refurbishment works and has left a hole in the seafront landscape ever since.
Planning consent already exists on the site for five houses and a five-storey block of flats.
A year ago, Hyde unveiled plans for the 56 metre tower of 107 homes but later withdrew the plans in the face of strong public opposition.
The developer has switched architects on the project, swapping Brighton-based Yelo Architects for Hampshire-based HGP Architects who have been hosting a series of design workshops with local residents.
Hyde said they hoped the sessions will ensure the new building, whose design is currently being kept under wraps, “had a bit of Brighton and Hove about it”.
The new design, for a mixture of one and two bedrooms with an “element” of affordable housing, will go on display at The View Bar on Hove seafront on Saturday between 11.30 am and 4.30 pm.
Tom Shaw, development director for The Hyde Group in the South, said: “Six months of work from our architects has really paid off.
“This was a neighbourly effort and the proposed building looks fantastic.”
Guy Goodman, HGP Architects’ director, said: “Context is all important. It’s not just about how people live with a building, it’s how that building lives in its environment. We wanted a scheme that enhanced the local area.”
A Hove Seafront Residents Association spokesman said: “With just over a week to go, Hyde announced a public consultation on the ‘new’ Sackville Tower.
“We have asked them to postpone the date or even to run it over a couple of days to allow people more time to re-arrange their schedules.
“We have been told their staff are ‘too busy’ in December and the venue and leaflets have been paid for.”
Article originally published by The Argus.
