An application to build a new supermarket with car parking on King George VI Avenue, Hove, was approved by councillors at Planning Committee on 4 September 2024.
The application relates to land at Court Farm, south-east of the roundabout connecting the A27, Devil’s Dyke Road, Mill Road, Dyke Road Avenue and King George VI Avenue.
The property is a former farm and farmland that forms part of a dry valley cut off from wider farmland when the A27 bypass was constructed in the early 1990s.Court Farm House, associated garages and storage buildings have been demolished and the site has mostly been cleared.
The proposal is for a 1,880sqm development for Aldi including a 1,315sqm retail supermarket and a 107-space car park.
Road access to the site would be reconfigured and upgraded. Proposals include a right-turn island on King George VI Avenue, enhanced footpaths and cycleways on the eastern side of the road and downgrading the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph.
Public consultation on the current plans took place in May and June 2024. Forty-three letters of representation were received objecting to the proposed development, with 22 letters received in support.
You can view the application and accompanying papers through our online Planning Register by searching for application reference number BH2022/03483.
Having studied the application documents and comments received, the committee members heard a presentation from council planning officers and asked questions of officers and representatives of Aldi before debating the scheme.
Key considerations for councillors in reaching their decision included the principle of using this site for a supermarket, the highway impact, public transport serving the site, the impact on existing shopping areas and how compatible the proposal is with the planning permission already granted for Toads Hole Valley to the south of the site.
The design of the store, the environmental impacts and the impact on the South Downs National Park were also considered.
Committee members voted by a majority of 6 to 3 to approve the application, subject to conditions and a Section106 agreement.
You can watch a recording of the Planning Committee meeting webcast on our website.
