Councillors to vote on adopting part two of the city development plan

At a full council meeting on 20 October councillors will vote on whether to adopt the City Plan Part Two as part of the city’s development plan.

City Plan Part One was adopted in 2016 and sets out the strategic planning framework for Brighton & Hove to 2030. That includes new housing, employment spaces, improved infrastructure, and where new strategic development should go.

It includes the target of delivering at least 13,200 new homes by 2030.

A government inspector who examined the plan concluded that it satisfies all legal requirements, complies with national planning policy and provides an appropriate basis for the planning of the city.

The council can now make no further changes to City Plan Part 2 but must agree to either accept it as it stands or reject it at the meeting.

Without such a plan we risk losing local control of the ability to shape and manage new development, with decisions falling back to national policy.

Addressing housing need

To help deliver much-needed new homes City Plan Part 2 identifies more than 50 sites in the city for housing development. The majority of housing development will take place on brownfield urban sites, including larger brownfield locations such as at Brighton General Hospital.

There are also 15 sites around the city’s edge or “urban fringe”. These account for just 7% of our urban fringe, meaning that 93% of these spaces will continue to be strongly protected

Raising the quality and affordability of new homes

The plan also includes policies to raise the quality of new homes and ensure that genuinely affordable housing is built, including in the rental sector.

It will support the delivery of new housing options for the vulnerable and elderly, ensure purpose-built student accommodation is of a good standard, and help better manage concentrations of houses of multiple occupation in the city.

Councillor David Gibson, joint chair of the Housing Committee, said: “The crux of the housing crisis in Brighton & Hove is affordability. It’s absolutely crucial that we increase the supply of affordable, and primarily affordable rented housing.

“This plan sets out ambitious targets for affordable homes in the city.”

Tackling climate change

Alongside addressing our growing housing needs we must also tackle the climate change and biodiversity emergencies facing us.

City Plan Part 2 brings in policies to support our goal to be carbon neutral by 2030 and to protect and enhance our green infrastructure. New policies will ensure that development is more energy efficient and reduces carbon emissions as far as possible.

The plan supports the move to sustainable and low emission transport to improve air quality. It has policies to tackle the risk of flooding and safeguard water quality, and to ensure the retention or planting of trees in new developments.

Improving biodiversity

Councillor Elaine Hills, a member of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee, said: “Development, whether that’s changes to our own homes or properties, or major new housing or commercial property schemes, needs to be future proofed to ensure it is resilient to the climate changes we face and that it tackles the causes.

"Until now developers have been required to take action to ensure their plans do not result in a loss of biodiversity.

“City Plan Part 2 policies go further than this.

“Each site will now need to have a higher level of biodiversity following redevelopment than it had before. Major developments will have to demonstrate they can achieve a measurable net gain.

“And we are introducing that well ahead of the government’s intention to make it mandatory next year.”

Protecting the past, planning for the future

Councillor Martin Osborne, Co-chair of Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture committee, said: “City Plan Part 2 policies not only address our housing needs and the climate emergency, but also support our local economy and high streets, and protect our historic buildings.

“Brighton & Hove is a unique place. A diverse community with a fascinating history.

“As well as protecting our heritage and past, we have ambitions for the future.

“And we need to plan for that future now.

“That’s’ why it is important to have a good city plan. It helps ensure that new development is sympathetic to communities and residents and allows the city to thrive and grow in the future.”