Design
While the final design of the buildings and the materials used to finish them will be decided by the developer and agreed with the council in subsequent planning approvals, this application includes proposals for:
• The scale and layout of the homes, including balconies, parking spaces, refuse and recycling.
• Landscaping - rooftop garden, trees, planting, paving, and ecology
• Access – entrances/exits into the development from the main road, to include visibility and swept path analysis
Housing
The Ashford House development will provide 47 new homes, helping Eastbourne to meet its target of providing 5,000 new homes by 2027. The aim is to build at least 70% of these new homes on land that has been previously developed (brownfield land)
A mix of flat sizes has been proposed at Ashford House, providing sustainable town centre accommodation for different sized households, as follows:
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17 x 2 -bedroom flats
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30 x 1 -bedroom flats
It is proposed that approximately 30% of the homes will be allocated for affordable housing to be sold or rented by a housing association. Each flat will have its own balcony and there will be a communal garden spanning the entire roof space.
The development will have two disabled parking bays and charging points for electric vehicles. There will also be a City Car Club parking bay in association with the development to provide residents with easy access to a City Car Club vehicle. Every home will have secure cycle parking.
Image for illustrative purposes only
Location
The scheme is on the corner of Langney Road and Cavendish Place in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The site is within the town centre and close to Eastbourne seafront. Primary schools (Bourne Primary School) and GP services (Bolton Road and Seaside Medical Practice) are within walking distance.
Eastbourne is renowned for its sunny climate and spectacular coastal location at the foot of the South Downs National Park. The town is well connected with direct trains to London and easy access to the motorway network, Gatwick airport and cross channel ferries from Newhaven. In the last few years there has been significant investment in the town, including the new £85 million Beacon shopping centre and the £54 million Devonshire Quarter, comprising the International Tennis Centre, conference centre and theatres.
Sustainable Features
The Ashford House development will seek to incorporate a range of sustainable features and initiatives to lessen the impact on the environment, to improve site ecology and enhance the quality and quantity of green space on the site.
Sustainable features and initiatives could include:
• Energy-efficient and insulated homes to minimise gas and electricity consumption
• Water recycling and alternative energy sources, such as solar and air source heat pumps
• Use of sustainable building materials
• Green space created with a communal roof-top garden
• The roof-top garden will have permeable surfaces to control rainwater run-off
• Planting native species and providing bird and bat boxes on the building to encourage wildlife
• Alternative transport options will be encouraged. Local bus routes and a short walk to the railway station, along with secure lock-ups for bicycles, will make it easy for people to walk, cycle and use public transport
• Recharging pods for electric cars
It is also worth noting that the site is a brownfield site – that is, it has already been built upon – so new homes can be provided without sacrificing the natural landscape.
Traffic & Transport
Ashford House is a town centre site, with excellent links to public transport, and will be a car-free development with an emphasis on sustainable design. The development will therefore result in a significant reduction in traffic movements to and from the site, and ease associated on-street parking.
Average weekly traffic movements to the Bonners store, when it was open, can be estimated based on customer and delivery numbers. Pre-pandemic Bonners was attracting between 200 & 400 customers per week, depending on the time of year. In terms of deliveries, there were up to 50 deliveries per week in a variety of vehicle types from 7.5-tonne lorries to articulated lorries. Most delivery vehicles had to park on the pavement for easier access.
A parking survey was undertaken by RGP Transport Planning and Infrastructure Design Consultants over two days, a Friday and Saturday, for comparison. The streets included in the survey were Langney Rd, Pevensey Rd, Ceylon Place, Tideswell Road, Longstone Rd, Susans Rd, Wellesley Rd, Cavendish Place, Bourne St.
The survey identified on-street parking over 2 days as being at 85% capacity.