Planning permission for a new IKEA retail store and 600 new homes at Lancing (Brighton) took a significant step forward this week as the Government has decided not to ‘call in’ the application. The scheme, which has been subject to significant technical and environment issues, was approved by Adur Council at the end of 2018.
Instructed by IKEA, FPCR provided landscape guidance to address the site’s sensitive relationship with the adjacent South Downs AONB. This has included developing appropriate design and mitigation measures that have focussed on the use of broadleaved woodland planting around the perimeter of the site – to be planted prior to construction-, the creation of a ‘green roof’, the use of different buildings materials, and modifications in the standard IKEA ‘blue and yellow’ façade.
FPCR met with officers of the AONB and Adur Council to develop the proposals. The practice prepared a series of ‘before and after’ photomontages of the store and the wider development from the AONB escarpment and the listed buildings at Lancing College and at Shoreham Airport to demonstrate the limited harm of the development on the designated landscape and heritage assets. FPCR have also produced Landscape Principle Plans for the IKEA store and design information for the application’s Design & Access Statement.
The Brighton IKEA store follows on from FPCR’s previous work for IKEA at their new stores at Reading, Exeter and their flagship sustainable store at Greenwich.
