The Council has proposed a large development proposed for the Patcham Court Farm site, at the top of Vale Avenue. We are asking for your thoughts on this proposal before our meeting with the consultation team. There will also be a full public consultation in January 2022 where you can voice your thoughts and ideas; but we wanted to give you time to digest this information before we go for a site visit with the consultation team.
The proposal is to relocate the entire City’s Post Office sorting office and delivery functions (except customer facing, so no collection of parcels) into this one location.
Councillor Anne Meadows asked a question at Full Council (16/12/2021) on behalf of residents and this is the response so far:
Question asked by Councillor Meadows about the Post Office sorting office relocation:
Can the Leader of the Council confirm:
a) Whether the Administration is aware of plans to relocate both of the city’s Post Office sorting office and distribution centres to a new single location in Patcham?
b) If so, where will this new location will be? And
c) Whether the Administration supports these plans?
Reply from Councillor MacCafferty, Leader of the Council
The answers below are caveated by the fact that the council is under a Non-Disclosure legal agreement with Royal Mail in respect of all details relating to this matter.
a) I can confirm the Administration’s awareness that officers are in discussion with Royal Mail. We understand that Royal Mail sent a letter to all councillors of the wards of the existing sorting offices and the Patcham councillors on 9 November 2021. Ward Councillors of Goldsmid, St Peter’s and North Laines and Patcham wards were briefed on the subject by council officers on 9 November 2021.
b) Council officers remain in discussion with Royal Mail for a new consolidated location at the Patcham Court Farm site. The terms of the transaction are not yet agreed and will require planning consent. Should agreement be reached, the matter will be brought to Policy & Resources Committee for approval in Spring 2022;
c) The Administration are supportive of the plans. Patcham Court Farm is a strategic development site, surplus to requirement, within the city local plan that was severed from the main farm site over 30 years ago for the construction of the A27 Brighton Relief Road. If successful, delivery of the site with a key employer will bring a carbon neutral state of the art facility introducing an electric vehicle fleet. Customer service collection points will be retained in Brighton and Hove. The re-location and consolidation of the Royal Mail function onto one site releases other sites in the City enabling mixed redevelopment, commercial space and much needed housing. Royal Mail will undertake a public consultation in the local community to explain the proposals in the new year ahead of any planning application. Ward members and the public will be invited to a public exhibition where the Royal Mail team will be happy to answer questions on their proposals and deal with any concerns.
Please let us know your initial thoughts via the survey below:
