Authority Monitoring Report 2024 to 2025

1. Residential completions 

Table 1: Net completions by development type, 2010 to 2011 and 2024 to 2025 

Key findings:

• the 1,298 net housing completions in 2024 to 2025 are the highest completion figure in the current plan period of 2010 to 2030, and comfortably exceed the annualised housing requirement of 660 dwellings per year
• due to the under-provision in previous years, the implied annual delivery rate required over the remainder of the plan period to 2030 to meet the overall Plan target of 13,200 homes remains high at 808 dwellings per year - Table 2
• new build developments accounted for the largest share of housing delivery in 2024 to 2025, yielding a total of 1167 net dwellings

Table 2: City Plan housing requirement 

Table 3: Net Completions by development size, 2011 to 2012 and 2024 to 2025 

Key findings:

• residential completions on large developments of 6 or more units in 2024 to 2025 were the highest total in the Plan period - Table 3
• out of the 1167 units completed on large sites, 955 were located within Development Areas (DAs) as defined in City Plan Part One (Policies DA1-DA8) resulting from the development at Sackville Trading Estate and Hove Goods Yard Sackville Road within DA6 Hove Station Area, the development at Anston House 137 to 147 Preston Road within DA4 New England Quarter and London Road Area and Preston Barracks within DA3 Lewes Road Area
• 1,109 units were completed within site allocations as identified in the City Plan, including 105 affordable housing units on the ‘Preston Barracks, Mithras House’ site

A full list of residential development completions of 10 or more dwellings is set out in Table 4, with these sites yielding a total of 1,128 net units. 

Major developments completed 2024 to 2025 

Sackville Trading Estate and Hove Goods Yard, Sackville Road, Hove 

Development: Demolition and comprehensive redevelopment of Sackville Trading Estate and Hove Goods Yard, comprising 'build to rent' residential units (C3) with associated internal and external amenity provision; a care community (C2) together with associated communal facilities.

Net Units Completed: 564.

Anston House, 137 to 147 Preston Road, Brighton, Brighton & Hove, BN1 6AF (Anston House (137 to 139) and Land Adjoining, Preston Road Brighton)

Development: Demolition of existing building and erection of a new building of varying heights up to 13 and 15 storeys to provide 229 residential units (C3), flexible commercial or café space (B1 and A3) use at ground level, car parking at ground and basement level, cycle parking, storage lockers, 2 new vehicular accesses, landscaping and amenity areas, refuse stores and associated plant.

Net Units Completed: 229.

Preston Barracks, Mithras House, Watt Building, Lewes Road, Brighton

Development: (full application) Preston Barracks Parcel: Demolition of existing buildings and construction of (B1) 7-storey Central Research Laboratory, Student Accommodation (Sui Gen) providing 534 bed spaces within 3 blocks of 13, 11 and 15 storeys, 369 (C3) residential units in 8 Blocks with a range between 2 and 10 storeys, 264sq.m workshop space (B1), 301sq.m flexible commercial space (A1/A3/B1), 334sq.m retail space (A1/A3), parking, public realm works and landscaping.

Net Units Completed: 162.

Land At Lyon Close, Lyon Close, Hove

Development: Demolition of existing buildings (B8) to facilitate a mixed-use development comprising the erection of 4 buildings between 6 and 8 storeys to provide 152 dwellings (C3), 2 live/work units (sui generis) and 697sqm of office accommodation (B1) with associated car and cycle parking, landscaping and other related facilities.

Net Units Completed: 152.

Gemini Business Centre, 136 to 140 Old Shoreham Road, Hove

Prior Approval for a change of use from office (B1a) to residential (C3) to create 31 residential units, comprising 8 studio flats, 16 one-bedroom flats, 5 2-bedroom flats and 2 3-bedroom flats. 

Net Units Completed: 31.

112 to 120 Pankhurst Avenue, Brighton

Prior Approval for the demolition of Block A and Block C. 

Net Units Completed: -10.

Table 5: Proportion of gross number of units per unit size, 2021 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025

In 2024 and 2025, flats comprised 96% of newly completed residential units, with 89% of these flats featuring 2 bedrooms or fewer. The remaining 4% of newly completed residential units were houses, 67% of which were 3-bedroom houses or larger.  

Whilst one and 2-bedroom units remain the largest proportion of all residential units completed in 2024/25 (91% of all units), there was a higher proportion of 3 and 4-bedroom units completed than in previous monitoring years (9% of all units), as shown in Table 6.

Table 6: Total net residential and self-contained student accommodation from 2020 to 2021 and 2024 to 2025 

For government housing completion data, self-contained student accommodation has been included as part of the self-contained housing stock recorded in the housing supply data returns since 2018 to 2019.

For the 2024 to 2025 period, there are no recorded student accommodation developments. 

Table 7: Total net prior approval completions by size, 2013 to 2014 and 2024 to 2025 

A Permitted Development Rights (PDR) for a change of use from office to residential use was introduced in 2013 and was subsequently extended to include retail, financial and professional services, light industrial and storage or distribution uses. 

These developments require Prior Approval from the local authority but are not subject to the standard planning application process. A new PDR for the change of Commercial, Business and Service use (E use class) to residential use came into force in August 2021, which covers and extends the previous PDR.

Table 8: Prior Approval PD completions as a proportion of total net residential completions, 2013 to 2014 and 2024 and 2025  

In 2024 to 2025, 63 residential units were completed through permitted development (Table 9), which represents a decrease compared to the previous year.

Whilst permitted development has boosted residential delivery since 2013 to 2014, the council's ability to ensure that permitted residential units meet amenity standards and secure affordable housing contributions is limited. Additionally, a change of use to residential through permitted development can diminish the city's office space supply.

2. Affordable residential

Housing affordability remains a severe challenge in Brighton & Hove, as house prices have risen substantially, outpacing income levels. To address this issue, Policy CP20 of City Plan Part One requires the inclusion of affordable housing (or an equivalent financial contribution) in all new developments comprising 5 or more net dwellings. 

Affordable housing is defined as housing for sale or rent for households whose needs are not met by the market (for example, affordable rented housing or shared ownership).

Policy CP20 states that the Council will require the provision of affordable housing on all sites of 5 or more dwellings (net) and will negotiate to achieve the following affordable housing targets:

• a) 40% onsite affordable housing provision on sites of 15 or more (net) dwellings
• b) 30% onsite affordable housing provision on sites of between 10 and 14 (net) dwellings or as an equivalent financial contribution
• c) 20% affordable housing as an equivalent financial contribution on sites of between 5 and 9 (net) dwellings

The overall target for Policy CP20 is to achieve approximately 30% affordable housing of all housing delivery as affordable housing.

Key findings: 

• in 2024 to 2025, 208 affordable homes were completed (Table 10), comprising approximately 15% of all gross completions
• over the past 5-year period, 23% of all homes completed were affordable, in line with the City Plan target (Table 11)
• over the Plan period since 2010, 24% of all homes have been affordable, slightly less than the overall target
• table 12 below shows that out of the units delivered through major developments, 18% were affordable homes, a decrease from the previous monitoring year
• the major development on the Preston Barracks, Mithras House, and Watt Building site comprises 162 residential units, 105 of which are affordable housing

Table 10: Affordable proportion (%) of total gross units completed 2024 to 2025 

Table 11: Affordable proportion (%) of gross units completed in major developments 2024 to 2025 

3. Extant permissions 

Key findings: 

• there were 377 new net housing units permitted in 2024 to 2025 - Table 11
• of these, 47 of which are affordable housing units - 12%
• if delivered, this would fall below the plan target of 30%

Table 12: Number of new residential units permitted from 2010 to 2011 and 2024 and 2025 

4. Purpose-built student accommodation 

City Plan Part One Policy CP21 encourages the provision of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) to help meet the housing needs of the city’s students and reduce the demand from students for alternative accommodation in the private rented sector, including Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). 

Key findings:

• there were no PBSA developments completed from 2024 to 2025 - Table 12
• over the Plan period from 2010 to 2011, 7,009 new student bedrooms have been developed within Brighton and Hove

Table 13: Number of new communal student bedrooms completed from 2010 to 2011 and 2024 to 2025 

Table 14: Number of new communal student units completed from 2015 and 2016 to 2024 and 2025 

5. Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO)

On 5 April 2013, an Article 4 Direction relating to HMOs (use class C4) came into force in 5 electoral wards within Brighton and Hove, which overrides national permitted development rights and requires a planning application to be submitted for such changes of use. The Article 4 Direction was expanded to cover the whole city in June 2020. This enables the impact of concentrations of HMOs in certain areas of the city to be considered by the council using the criteria in City Plan Part One Policy CP21 and City Plan Part Two Policy DM7 when assessing proposals for new HMOs. 

Table 15: Decisions on HMO applications in the initial five Article 4 Wards 2013 and 2014 to 2024 and 2025 

There have been 387 planning applications for the change of use of a single dwelling house to a small HMO between April 2013 and March 2025 in the 5 wards where an Article 4 Direction took effect in April 2013 (Table 14). Of these, 225 were approved, and 162 refused. Of those refused, 68 have been subject to an appeal, of which 35 appeals have been allowed.

Table 16: Decisions on HMO applications from City-Wide Article 4 from June 2020 to March 2025 

Between the implementation of the citywide Article 4 Direction on 3 June 2020 and 31 March 2025, there have been 96 planning applications, 75 approved and 21 refused, for the change of use of a single dwelling house to a small HMO (Table 15). Of those refused, 15 have been subject to an appeal, of which 12 have been allowed.  

6. Gypsy and traveller provision 

Policy CP22 ‘Traveller Accommodation’ in City Plan Part One sets out the council’s approach Policy CP22 ‘Traveller Accommodation’ in City Plan Part One sets out the council’s approach to providing traveller accommodation based on assessments of local needs.

We have recently completed an updated Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTAA), which concludes that there is a need for 7 additional permanent pitches in the City Plan area, based on the assumption that 10% of the households identified as being of gypsy and traveller origin through the 2021 Census, and living in bricks and mortar, require a pitch. We will consider this issue further as work progresses on City Plan 2041. The GTAA is available to view on the council website. 

 1. Change of use through permitted development  

The majority of floor space data in this section is gathered through monitoring planning applications. There are, however, changes which occur through Permitted Development Rights (PDRs) that do not require planning permission and are more difficult to monitor. Some of these changes of use require prior approval from the Local Planning Authority and can therefore be monitored.

Retail health checks of shopping centres can also identify changes which may not have been identified through planning processes.

In September 2020, the use class order was amended to introduce a new Class E (commercial, business and service) and Class F (Local Community and Learning) use classes and revoke classes A, B1 and D.

The new Class E incorporates the previous A1 (shops), A2 (professional and financial services), A3 (restaurants and cafes) and B1 (business) use classes, plus gyms, nurseries, and health centres previously in classes D1 (non-residential institutions) and D2 (assembly and leisure).

Uses previously falling into A4 (drinking establishments) and A5 (hot food takeaways), as well as cinemas, concerts, dance, and bingo halls, are now Sui Generis uses.

The analysis below includes changes in use both before and after the change to the use class order, and this will continue to be the case while applications submitted before September 2020 remain extant. 

From August 2021, new permitted development rights came into force, which reflected the ‘new’ use classes, including the right to change use from the new ‘E’ use class to a C3 dwelling. These are summarised in Table 1 below.

Since 2013, changes of use from B1a offices to residential have been allowed through permitted development, subject to prior approval.

Brighton & Hove City Council introduced an Article 4 Direction in 2014, which removed these permitted development rights and required planning permission in 3 parts of the city. These were: 

• Central Brighton, New England Quarter and London Road Area
• Edward Street Quarter, Edward Street, Brighton
• City Park, The Droveway, Hove 

Office uses now fall under the wider Use Class E ‘Commercial, business, and service’ and following a transitional period, the Article 4 Direction lapsed on 31 July 2022.

A new permitted development right (Class MA) came into effect on 1 August 2021, which allows the change of use of E use to residential, subject to conditions and prior approval.

In February 2023, Brighton & Hove City Council introduced a new Article 4 Direction which overrides the Class MA PDR in an area broadly corresponding to the previous office to residential Article 4 direction, together with primary retail frontages within the city’s retail centres and the city’s local centres and parades. 

Table 1: Summary of permitted development rights relating to changes of use, August 2021

[1] Prior Approval required

[2] For a temporary Period of 3 Years

[3] Until March 2022

GDPO (as amended) MHCLG 2020 

2. Business development

This section summarises the development of employment floorspace in the city in 2024 to 2025.

The use classes monitored in this section are shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Guide to employment use classes in 2021

The supply of employment land and premises is limited in the city. Policy CP3 ‘Employment Land’ of the City Plan Part One (CPP1) sets out a framework to safeguard and upgrade current employment sites in the city and create new employment floorspace through the regeneration of key sites.

An indicative Employment Land Supply Trajectory (Table 3) was updated in December 2017, which guides the monitoring of new employment floorspace delivery through the City Plan period to 2032. The trajectory was produced by looking at the potential supply of floorspace through strategic site allocations and extant permissions at the time it was produced. It does not consider overall city-wide windfall floorspace changes, which are reported in the AMR.  

Table 3: Indicative delivery trajectory for employment land supply by 5-year period 

Completions 

There was an overall net increase of 19m² employment floorspace in 2024 to 2025 (table 4). However, in terms of office floorspace, there was a net increase of 602m², which includes the completion of the mixed-use development of Land at Lyon Close, Hove and redevelopment at Newtown Road, Hove.  

There was a net loss of 1,128m² in storage and distribution, mainly as a result of the completed redevelopment of Sackville Trading Estate and Hove Goods Yard development at Sackville Road, Hove, within the DA6 Hove Station Area.  

Table 4: Gains, losses, and net change of employment floorspace, 2024 to 2025

Part 3 of City Plan Part One Policy CP3 ‘Employment Land,’ seeks to protect the listed primary industrial estates and business parks for business, manufacturing, and warehouse use. In 2024 to 2025, there was no loss of employment floorspace on these sites.  

There was a net gain of 471m² of employment floorspace within the Policy SA2 Central Brighton area, much of which was attributed to the change of use scheme on 1 to 5 Union Street, Brighton.  

Table 5: Total employment floorspace change, by type 2010/2011 to 2024/2025 

There has been a cumulative net loss of 37,631m² in employment floorspace since 2010 to 2011 (table 5).

Table 6 outlines the changes in employment floorspace since 2010/2011. There has been a 9,755m² loss of employment floorspace over the past 5 years, which represents an average annual net loss of 1,951m² of employment floorspace over that period.

Table 6: Employment Floorspace change, by type, 2010/2011 to 2024/2025 

Commencements

When all developments under commencement at the end of the monitoring year are completed, they will contribute to a 5,880m² net loss in employment space (table 7).

A large proportion of the loss of office floorspace results from the co-living scheme at Enterprise Point, Melbourne Street, and Brighton & Hove City Council’s development at Old Steine and 3 Palace Place, Brighton. However, these losses will be partially mitigated by new office space to be provided at ‘Palmer And Harvey House’, 106 to 112 Davigdor Road, Hove.

Table 7:  Potential gains, losses, and net change of employment floorspace from developments under commencement, 2024/2025 

Decisions

Planning applications approved in 2024/25 are projected to result in a net loss of approximately 3,795m² in employment floorspace if all developments are constructed. This figure includes a net loss of 3,751m² in office floorspace, predominantly as a result of the scheme at 141 Davigdor Road, Hove (prior approval change of use office to residential). 

Prior approvals for the change of use from offices to residential use 

The government introduced a permitted development right on 30 May 2013 (made permanent in April 2016), which allows conversions from offices to residential use without the need for planning permission. This PDR was superseded on 31 July 2021 by the PDR to change Use Class E uses to Residential, which became effective on 1 August 2021, and is reflected in the subsequent monitoring years.

Table 8: Permitted development office to residential completions, 2013/2014 to 2024/2025 

Whilst these rights have facilitated an increase in residential development, they also result in a loss of office accommodation. Since the introduction of permitted development rights in 2013, there has been a loss of 48,046m² of office floorspace for the gain of 982 residential units.

There was a decrease in the completion of office to residential prior approval developments in 2024/2025, with 45 residential units completed for a loss of 2,804m² of office floorspace (this includes B1a and Eg)(i) floorspace), the majority of this loss was due to the completion of the change of use of Gemini Business Centre on Old Shoreham Road, Hove. 

3. Shops, services, food and drink developments 

This section summarises the development of retail and non-retail ‘A Use Class’ floorspace in the city in 2024/25. The use class for retail floorspace was A1 (shops), and non-retail A use classes used to include: A2 (financial and professional services), A3 (restaurants and cafés), A4 (drinking establishments) and A5 (hot food takeaways). 

Since September 2020, A1, A2 and A3 have been replaced by E(a) (shops), E(b) (restaurants and cafés), and E(c) (financial and professional services), while A4 and A5 are now ‘Sui Generis’ uses.

The city’s need for additional retail floorspace over the City Plan period was estimated in 2011 to be 58,313m² of comparison floorspace and 2,967m² of convenience retail.

Completions

There was a net loss of 8,243m² in all shops, services and food and drink floorspace in 2024/25 (table 9). In terms of retail floorspace (A1/Ea), the net loss of 9,162² includes the demolition and redevelopment of the Sackville Trading Estate at Sackville Road, Hove. 

There was a higher net loss of shop, services and food and drink floorspace outside designated shopping centres in the city, identified in the City Plan (table 10), in the monitoring year, than inside these centres. This was predominantly due to the completion of the Sackville Trading estate scheme. 

Table 9: Change in floorspace of A1 retail and non-retail A use classes, 2024/2025 

Table 10: Shop, services and food and drink floorspace completions within designated shopping centres, 2024 to 2025  

Since 2016/2017, there has been a successive net loss of shop, services and food and drink floorspace each year, with the past monitoring year of 2024/2025 representing the second-largest loss since 2010/2011, as shown in table 11.

There has been a total loss of 22,745m² of retail floorspace since 2010/2011. There has, however, been a year-on-year increase in restaurant floorspace with a total net increase of 16,861m² since 2010/2011, including 363m² in the 2024/2025 monitoring year. 

Table 11: Change in floorspace of A1 retail and non-retail A use classes, 2010/2011 to 2024/2025

Commencements

Once completed, the shops, services and food and drink developments which were under construction, but not completed, in the monitoring year, would lead to an additional net increase of 725m² of retail floorspace.  

Decisions

A 2,364m² net loss of shops, services and food and drink floorspace was permitted in 2024/2025. A large proportion of the loss results from the change of use scheme at Olivier House, 18 Marine Parade, Brighton and 12A and 14 Imperial Arcade, Brighton. 

Prior approval change of use from retail to residential use

Permitted development rights came into force in April 2014 to allow a change of use from retail or financial and professional services to residential when the area of floor space does not exceed 150m². There was a loss of 291m² of retail floorspace in 2024/25 due to permitted development to residential through 3 applications, resulting in 6 new dwellings in total. 

Retail health check

To safeguard the vitality and viability of local, district, town and regional centres, as well as the newly identified important local parades, retail centre health checks are carried out.

The health check monitoring informs the application decision process to keep the correct balance of uses in each centre. In 2022, health check monitoring covered the primary frontages of regional, town and district centres as well as the entirety of local centres and important local parades.

In 2026, it is anticipated that a retail capacity study will be commissioned as a background study for the City Plan 2041. This will involve an update to retail health checks for the centres in the retail hierarchy and provide us with an up-to-date picture of the type of units within our centres, some of which may have changed without the need for planning permission under Class E.

4. Mixed-use developments 

There was a net gain of 3,428m² mixed-use development floorspace, which includes a mix of shops, services, food, and drink uses or employment uses with other use classes in 2024/2025. This was predominantly due to completions of the development at 94 to 96 Lewes Road, Brighton and the scheme at American Express Community Stadium, Village Way, Brighton. 

5. Leisure and cultural developments 

CPP1 Policy CP2 Planning for Sustainable Economic Development recognises the importance to the local economy of employment-generating uses which do not fall within the former B use Class uses. Certain strategic site allocations in City Plan Part 1 and City Plan Part 2 include non-B Class uses.

There was a net increase of 1,594m² in Non-Residential Institution floorspace (D1/Ee/Ef) in 2024/2025. This includes the completion of the change of use scheme at 195 New Church Road, Hove, and demolition and comprehensive redevelopment of Sackville Trading Estate and Hove Goods Yard at Sackville Road, Hove.

There was a net loss of 721m² in Assembly and Leisure floorspace (D2/F1/F2) in 2024/2025. This includes the completion of the completion of change of use of the school and nursery to a nursery at 195 New Church Road, Hove.

6. Hotel development 

The Brighton & Hove Visitor Accommodation Study Update 2018 forecasted a need for 2 new hotels in Brighton by 2022, in addition to the planned pipeline hotels that are set to open in the next 2 to 3 years, with longer-term forecasts (2023 to 2030) indicating potential demand for further 4 to 8 hotels in the city. 

Given the sensitivity of the longer-term forecasts, the City Plan is guided by the low-growth forecast requirement of up to 5 new hotels over the plan period. 

No hotel bedrooms were completed from 2024 to 2025. 

There were 224 hotel bedrooms under construction at the end of the monitoring year, mainly through planning applications on 7 to 8 Middle Street, Brighton and 12 South Street, Brighton. In 2024/2025, there were 165 hotel bedspaces permitted.

For downloadable PDF versions of this information, go to our Authority Monitoring Report 2024 to 2025 documents page.