If you live anywhere near the Preston area of Brighton, you may already know the building we’re referring to.
Anston House, situated just opposite Preston Park, is something of an eyesore, in all honesty. Abandoned for around 25 years, the dilapidated block has long been dubbed not only the ugliest building in Brighton, but in the whole of Sussex.
This final effort to revitalise the building comes after an alleged 60 planning applications had been turned down since the dereliction of the space. When you look at the building in person, you do have to wonder what took them so long to finally approve one of them.
What is more, the future of Anston House looks incredibly bright, given what developers First Base now have in store for it. The 9-storey aberration is now in line for a major overhaul in the form of a sleek and modern centre of business for up to 280 entrepreneurs. In addition, plans outlined by the Argus indicate that the ground floor area will be taken up by 229 new homes. This will be the first floor in a 12-storey redevelopment across a number of new tower blocks.
Whatever your opinions of Anston House, although we suspect they will be negative, the First Base redevelopment plans have to be applauded. After so many efforts at reinvigorating the frankly atrocious block, an area to cultivate innovation, technology and creativity will be a most welcome addition to the Preston area and Brighton in general.
What are your thoughts on the Anston House redevelopment plans? Is it a fantastic opportunity to overhaul an extraordinarily bad monument? Or should Anston House be preserved as a figurehead of Brighton architecture? Surely there’s only one answer…
