Brighton & Hove City Plan Review – CPRE Sussex comments

CPRE Sussex welcomes some of the approaches in the Review but has deep concerns about others.

CPRE Sussex welcomes:

• the focus on prioritising homes for social rent, alongside measures to control second homes and short term holiday lets;
• the focus on existing brownfield sites, and pursuit of gentle densification;
• the potential use of the Urban Greening Factor tool to build in more green infrastructure.

We are however deeply concerned about:

• a lack of clarity about the annual housing figure that the city will adopt and whether the urban fringe, National Park setting or green spaces will be sacrificed to achieve it;
• a limited approach to climate issues, including a deeply unambitious approach to operational carbon emissions from new-builds;
• a continuing threat to valuable green, urban fringe sites including in Toads Hole Valley;
• an approach to transport that threatens to increase car mileage within and to/from the city (with associated congestion, air and noise pollution and carbon emissions), including through the use of Park and Ride.

We hope that these areas of weakness can be improved at the next stage.

Our comments, including response to a number of the specific consultation questions, are at: Brighton and Hove City Plan Review November 2024 CPRE Sussex comments.