The planning committee's decision to approve the conversion of the Alex's iconic main building was a famous victory for the association.  Councillors voted unanimously to approve the conversion plan at the committee meeting on 23rd February.

 
In October 2010 Taylor Wimpey submitted two planning applications. One was for the complete demolition of everything on the site. The other one featured the conversion of the main hospital building. The association printed about 2000 leaflets. Together with our colleagues in the West Hill Community Association we distributed the leaflets to households in our conservation areas. The leaflets urged people to object to the demolition option and support the conversion option. A further 6000 leaflets were distributed throughout the city thanks to Regency magazine.

The objections to the demolition option began to flood in. In all the council received more than 180 objections. The council published the planners' report on the two options on 14th February. The planners recommended refusing the demolition option and approving conversion. On 22nd February, the day before the planning committee meeting, Taylor Wimpey bowed to the inevitable and withdrew the demolition option.

So by the time of the planning committee meeting conversion was the only option on the table. The future of the Alex was getting more secure by the minute. The conversion option had attracted an unusually high level of support, with more than 50 people writing in to back this option. The main conservation groups in the city all supported the conversion, as did the Victorian Society and English Heritage.

But there were two dozen local objections. About half of the objections were concerned about the impact of the new blocks of flats behind the main building on houses in Clifton Hill. Taylor Wimpey made concessions to reduce the height of the blocks backing on to Clifton Hill.

About half a dozen people objected to the demolition of other buildings on the site, notably the Victorian villa on Dyke Road. And another half a dozen objections were concerned about the lack of a GP surgery in the conversion. These objections were backed by a petition signed by 435 people and 90 identical letters.

Speaking on behalf of the Brighton Society, Hove Civic Society, the Regency Society, the Regency Square Area Society and the West Hill Community Association as well as the MCHA, Mick Hamer told the planning committee that while they regretted the loss of the Victorian villa, they were impressed with the sensitive restoration of the Royal Alex facade, to the way it looked a century ago.

"This underlines the building's important historic heritage," he said, pointing out that the concrete balconies, which were originally built as open-air TB wards, would now become open-air balconies for luxury flats."We've been working closely with both the council and the developers, particularly over the past nine months. It's been a long journey for all of us,” he said. “Compromise is inevitable and realistically this is as good as it gets."

Councillor Jason Kitcat, who was speaking on behalf of local councillors in both Regency Ward and St Peters and North Laine, said the scheme was "a bit of a curate's egg". But he said Taylor Wimpey had been responsive to local concerns. "It's been a long hard slog. Nobody wants to see this site vacant for longer or the buildings decaying further."

"I feel that Jason and Mick have stolen my thunder a little bit," said David Brown of Taylor Wimpey. "I probably shouldn't be thanking them in front of everyone, but we have had numerous very constructive conversations with both Jason and Mick."

"This is what we are paid to do," said Councillor Averil Older. "But the members of the civic societies are all volunteers, all excellent and without them goodness knows what state we'd be in in this city. So I'd like to pay tribute to the civic societies, but mainly the Montpelier and Clifton Hill Association."

"Very well said," added Lynda Hyde, the committee chairman. By now the result was a foregone conclusion. And 12 raised arms signalled that the Alex had been saved.

 

See our news pages for the latest on the Alex and for more details and images of Taylor Wimpey's plan to restore the frontage.  For more details of the association's four-year campaign to save the Alex click here

Why did last year's public inquiry reject Taylor Wimpey's plans for wholesale demolition?

The inspector said that there was a lot of affection for the main hospital building and that it made a positive contribution to the conservation area. He said that the new buildings that Taylor Wimpey wanted to build were not good enough to justify demolishing such an important landmark. He said that the green open space at the front of the building was an important local amenity.

Didn't the council produce a planning brief earlier this year? Remind me what it said?

The planning brief was approved by the environment cabinet in March this year. The key plank of the planning brief was that any redevelopment should keep and convert the main building.

What is the difference between the demolition plan and the one that was rejected at the public inquiry in May 2009?

Not a lot. Last year's plan had 149 flats and the buildings had been pushed forward reducing the triangular green garden between Clifton Hill and Dyke Road. This year's plans leave the green triangle intact and because there is less space for building there are only 137 flats.

Why has Taylor Wimpey submitted two planning applications, one for conversion and one for demolition. Can't the company make up its mind?

Good question. Each planning application is costing them £40,000 in planning fees. Do they have money to burn?

Why doesn't the conversion plan include a doctor's surgery? I know the Montpelier Surgery will eventually have to move.

The Primary Care Trust (part of the NHS) originally wanted 650 square metres of floor space for the surgery and another 100 square metres for a pharmacy. This was equivalent to the floor space of more than a dozen flats and was several times the floor space of the Montpelier Surgery's current premises.

Would it not be possible to include a smaller surgery in the conversion plans?

We have had discussions with Taylor Wimpey, the council and the Montpelier surgery about incorporating a small surgery on the Alex, at the expense of some affordable housing. At a meeting with Taylor Wimpey on 12th November we identified
six flats that could potentially be used as a surgery. We are still talking to the various parties about how this could be made to work.

I've heard that the main hospital building has the best sea views in Brighton. How much will it cost me to buy a flat?

The new-build flats are likely to be on a par with the flats in the New England quarter, behind the station. So reckon on £200,000 for a one-bed flat and £270,000 for two bedrooms. But the 20 converted flats will be altogether more classy. You can reckon on paying a third to a half more for a conversion than for a new build flat.