Town has its say over £10m skyscraper

People criticised and praised the project in equal measures at a meeting to discuss the controversial bid.

Newhaven Town Council organised the gathering at Southdown School on Thursday last week, to help gauge public opinion. Tony Smith, director of developers Sign of Four, and Farmiloe Architects director Phillip Farmlioe, fielded questions on their 10 million scheme.

Proposed is an 18-story tower block incorporating 22 loft-style flats, office space, a restaurant and underground parking for 22 cars.

'It's brave, it's bold, its the 21st Century. It's what Newhaven needs,' Mr Smith told an audience of 65 townsfolk.

He outlined plans for a high-rise block which would create a vibrant town centre community as well as meet the need for more offices and homes without building on greenfield sites.

But public opinion was mixed.

Tina Balmer, of Fort Road, was concerned a successful bid could lead to a rash of high-rises across the town - changing the face of Newhaven.

She said: 'This is not in keeping with Newhaven. Once we let a building that size in we will be faced with other planning applications. We will be dwarfed.'

As people applauded another resident shouted out: 'It'll be Benidorm via Newhaven.'

Chairman of Dove (Defenders of the Ouse Valley and Estuary) Joelle van Tinteren was worried a precedent would be set for large buildings, creating an open door for Newhaven incinerator plans. 'I feel this could well be a Trojan Horse,' she said.

A woman speaker said the average Newhaven resident wouldn't be able to afford the new flats and disliked the design. She added: 'It's a hideous monstrosity. It will be stuck up like a sore thumb in the middle of the Downs.

But Michael Reese, of Hill Side, disagreed. He said: 'It's not a sore thumb, but a thumbs up.'

He thought it would be a 'vast improvement' to the approach to the town and set the standard, along with West Quay and Denton Island, which other developers should aspire to.

David Howes, of Bay Vue Road, said the town centre was a 'disgrace' and stuck in the 1960's. It needed to change now.

'We have got to encourage private companies to spend money in Newhaven. Something has got to change. Unless we start encouraging people like this we will stay the way we are.'

But another speaker added: 'It's a beautiful building but in the wrong place. No one seems to care about historic Newhaven any more.'

Others were worried about the lack of parking and said it was unrealistic to assume people would rely on public transport.

It was revealed that the tower block would take nearly 18 months to build and was estimated to attract about 100 million to the local economy.

A planning application is likely to be submitted in spring 2003 and will be considered by Lewes District Council.