'Supported housing' Peacehaven development submitted

In an application submitted to Lewes District Council, a developer has put forward proposals to build 10 houses and 22 flats on land to the south of South Coast Road.

Unlike previous approved (but unbuilt) schemes, the latest proposals would include a significant element of ‘supported housing’. Such housing is intended to give people with care needs a place ‘to live as independently as possible’, by providing on site support and supervision.

The supported housing would come in the form of a four-storey apartment building comprising 22 one-bedroom flats, two of which would be used as staff accommodation. While the flats would be self-contained, the building would also include communal and administrative areas.

The developer says the building is intended to be used by adults with learning disabilities, although they say they have not yet reached an agreement with any specific provider.

The wider site would also include 10 houses, which are expected to be marketed for private sale.

It would also have 24 off-road car parking spaces arranged in a courtyard at the centre of the site.

The site is described as being brownfield land, as it was previously occupied by a motel, garage and service station. These buildings were demolished in 2010 and the site has been vacant since then.

The site has been approved for development several times, most recently in 2016 when the council approved plans to build 26 houses on the same land.