Plans to build two blocks containing 36 council flats have been submitted for a site in Whitehawk.
Brighton and Hove City Council has applied to build the two blocks on a former butterfly bank which was once a playground in Swanborough Drive.
Residents campaigned against allocating the site for housing in October 2022 when the council consulted the public on its strategic blueprint known as City Play Part Two.
More recently, during the design process, the council carried out public engagement events at St Cuthman’s Church last April and at Kingfisher Court last November.
A “design and access statement” submitted as part of the planning application said that residents were supportive with “some reservations” about the construction process.
All flats are designed to accessible and adaptable, with four specifically designed for wheelchair users.
The planning application said: “The initial stakeholder and resident consultation in 2022 identified the need for more quality affordable rented council housing to provide opportunities for growing families and children to stay local to the area.
“The provision of a mix of new affordable housing units with good transportation links to the commercial city centre provides opportunities for both growing families and those downsizing to stay in the area.
“The proposal also maximises the number of units on site while considering all other constraints to deliver the most effect in addressing the acute housing shortage.”
Twelve of the flats would have one bedroom for two people. Fifteen would be two-bed flats designed for three people. One would be a three-bedroom flat for four people. And eight flats would have three bedrooms and be designed for five people.
The application said: “In multiple engagements with the local community, the need for community space arose and was incorporated into the design.
“The adaptable space on the ground floor of the development will have catering facilities, a number of store rooms and WCs (including wheelchair-accessible), all clustered around an open space for community activities.”
The proposal includes five fully accessible disabled car parking bays in the undercroft of the building for residents with a blue badge.
Six off-site new bee and butterfly banks are due to be created to compensate for the loss of the wildlife space.
Ecological surveys recorded 244 species of invertebrates at the site, 13 with conservation status and three which are rare and among the most protected.
There is also a large population of slow worms and a medium-sized population of lizards which would need to be moved to a new site within the nearby community orchard.
To read more about the application and to comment – by Thursday 10 April – click here and search for BH2025/00532.
What are they thinking? Double -speak and nothing for “the community!” Ecological vandalism.
I live in a council estate and we have slow worms, bubble bees, butterflies and frogs living here as well. The 36 proposed flats will be part of the community. Actions of the community can have benefits for the ecology if willing to put the work in.
I’m happy to see this area get developed. Whitehawk clearly needs wide strategic improvement and development, especially considering the potential need to decant residents from the LPS blocks whilst regeneration occurs. And I’m really happy to see a community space being incorporated into the design, these are so important to have for a variety of different reasons.
BHCC are putting properties up wherever they can right now, it seems a good place to do so, I don’t think the Council will put it back into a Local Park so it’s Land going to waste really.
And it’s also good to know what size flats are to accommodate Families-so those on Housing List get the right size ( not to big or small)
Be good for those living in Whitehawk to see plans again as some haven’t before (get them back at St Cuthmans for all to see)
I agree with you Betty, considering Top Park and Middle Park have been regenerated, and Whitehawk Hill is next-door, there is plenty of access to outdoor spaces.
Last I heard, it was three bedroom properties that were the most sorely needed.
Lots of problems with this application.
Starting with increased housing density even for this area.
Increased traffic. No parking . Mean design. Affordable should not be no daylight in communal corridors and internally no daylight in toilets or corridors. It does not invite pride, it ticks lots of buildings regulation boxes, but that’s all.
Worst of all the loss of this patch of wild flowers and grasses has the backing of Save Whitehawk hill group.
And even worse is the inclusion of communal space for discos and other gatherings on the ground floor in one of the blocjs. Despite objections during the consultation phase the planners claim local support for this.
There are concerns about the ability of neighbouring tall blocks to withstand the impact of the heavy work so close by. These tall blocks have been declared vulnerable and likely to collapse if disturbed . The council built low quality 60 years ago and are still doing it.
The biodiversity survey report was made in November when the vegetation is dormant . This conveniently enabled the planners to declare the loss of this open natural habitat acceptable It should not be acceptable to anyone .
The developer’s name is not clear. The application is by an agent whose address is Brighton and Hove council .
Some local residents have suggested that brownfield building sites were not considered. This is a perennial question that the planners have to answer.
Yes, this is an unwanted application in this already very congested part of brighton, that already has a very high number of council owned homes. Local residents do not want it and are being ignored.
The “consultation” phase was a joke, and was done at one of the most inconvenient times to ensure minimum attendance (during working hours on a weekday). Furthermore, from those who did attend, none of their genuine objections nor concerns were actually listened to, and the “consultation exercise, was basically a rubber stamping process to go ahead and move onto the next stage.
No consideration for the very congested swanborough drive road has been given, and no consideration for the already oversubscribed local facilities have been given. Likewise no consideration has been given for any potential increase in antisocial behaviour that generally comes from areas with more people crammed in and with non family orientated social housing projects. I guess this will just be another one of the problems for the locals to deal with.
People do not want nor need more towerblocks of flats in brighton. There are frequently flats for sale in areas like this, that take a long time to sell as they are not desirable. Again this is being ignored. It would be much more morally right to leave this land alone due to the current wildlife and the current area over congestion and population density (one of the most densely populated parts of brighton)
If they are insistent on building, then the correct type should be a row of terraced houses, these would give people gardens and a bit of dignity and are in fact the type of houses needed and wanted in brighton, as opposed to more flats. Granted you could only fit around 8 of these in this area, but they would be much more suitable and actually give people what they want, and if built suitably (attics converted) could confortably have 3 bedrooms and so accomodate 8 families of up to 5 people a pop.
The decision to exclude normal parking for the residents of these flats would exacerbate that in the already congested. Swanborough Drive area.