Consultation into Royal Mail office move ends

A consultation on plans to move a Royal Mail depot in East Sussex has ended.

Campaigners say the development at Patcham Court Farm would increase flood risk, sewage leaks and traffic.

If approved, the site would replace the current offices in North Road in Brighton and Denmark Villas, Hove.

Royal Mail said changes to the planning application had been made to reflect the issues raised by residents.

Rebecca Kimber, of the Patcham Against Royal Mail campaign group, said the land is prone to flooding, with new buildings likely to reduce how much rainwater can be absorbed into the ground.

She also claimed it would lead to an additional 250,000 road journeys each year.

“This is the third year we’ve been fighting this, and they haven’t addressed the things we’re concerned about,” she told BBC Radio Sussex.

“You’re going to have a lot of people very early in the morning driving their cars, parking, slamming doors and waking residents up.

“And you’ll have HGV lorries all through the night, 24 hours a day, 364 days a year.”

Royal Mail said it had made changes to the plans, including changing the entrance site and improvements to protect ground water.

It would also safeguard 360 jobs, reduce emissions and improve deliveries and working conditions, a spokesman said.

“At the same time, moving to Patcham would free up two large central Brighton and Hove sites allocated for mixed-use and housing development in the City Plan,” he said.

Brighton & Hove City Council said the application remained under consideration and would be reviewed in due course.

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