Hove Station Neighbourhood Plan moves forward

Following the independent examination of the Hove Station Neighbourhood Plan councillors have agreed to recommend to a full council meeting that all the Examiner’s recommendations are accepted and that a local referendum is held on whether the plan should be adopted by the council.

Neighbourhood plans

Neighbourhood plans sit alongside other local planning policies, such as City Plan, to guide development and to help decide the outcome of planning applications in the area. This is the first Neighbourhood Plan in the city to have reached this final stage.

The Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum submitted their draft Plan to the council in early 2021. Following a public consultation an Examiner was appointed to assess whether the plan met legal requirements relating to national and local planning policies, and whether it would contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.

Recommendation for a residents' referendum 

At the Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism & Economic Development Committee Meeting on 9 November members were briefed on the amendments the Examiner put forward and voted to recommend that these are accepted at a full council meeting on 14 December.

They also agreed to recommend that the amended plan goes to a referendum where all residents in the Hove Station Neighbourhood Area can vote on whether they think the council should adopt the plan or not.

If more than 50% of those voting support the Neighbourhood Plan in the referendum, the council will formally adopt the Hove Station Neighbourhood Plan at its next meeting.

More information about the plan and the Examiner’s recommendations can be found online at Hove Station Neighbourhood Plan (brighton-hove.gov.uk)