Cllr. Birgit Miller

BH2025/00264 – Brighton College

As the Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage and Tourism, I would like to state my opposition to Brighton College’s planning application. One of the proposed sites, 2 Walpole Road, is in the College Conservation Area, and the St. Mary’s site is on the periphery of the East Cliff Conservation Area.

Firstly, I believe that this proposal contradicts the following principles, stated in

Brighton and Hove City Plan Part One (CPPP1), Policy CP12 Urban Design:

All new development will be expected to:

2.         Establish a strong sense of place by respecting the diverse character and urban grain of the city’s identified neighbourhoods;

4.         Conserve or enhance the city’s built and archaeological heritage and its settings;

In addition, I believe that it also contradicts the following principles, stated in Brighton and Hove City Plan Part Two (CPP2), Policy DM26 Conservation Areas:

Development proposals within conservation areas, including alterations, change of use, demolition and new buildings, will be permitted where they preserve or enhance the distinctive character and appearance of that conservation area, taking full account of the appraisal set out in the relevant character statement. Particular regard will be had to:

a)        The urban grain and/or historic development pattern of the area, including plot sizes, topography, open space and landscape.

b)        The typical building forms and building lines of the area, including scale, rhythm and proportion.

c)         The cohesiveness or diversity of an area.

d)        The retention of buildings, structures and architectural features that contribute positively to the identified character and appearance of the area.

e)        The preservation or enhancement of key views.

f)          The primary importance of street elevations (or other publicly visible elevations) and the roofscape.

i)          The use of building materials and finishes that respect the area.

I believe that this application also contradicts the following aim, stated in CPP1 Policy SA6 Sustainable Neighbourhoods, 3.175:

…create balanced communities that meet the needs of all residents and reduce the inequalities between different areas.

This proposal neither meets the needs of local residents nor supports the aim of creating cohesive and well-integrated neighbourhoods. The proposal also does not preserve or enhance the two conservation areas affected, as it contradicts all of the aims set out above. I believe this planning application is detrimental to the character and nature of both the College and East Cliff Conservation Areas. For these reasons, I believe this application should be refused.