Brighton and Hove’s planners have picked up two national awards.
The nature, conservation and development guidance published by Brighton and Hove City Council earned a climate change award from the Royal Town Planning Institute.
And a planning brief for the former Royal Alexandra Hospital site also received a commendation from the RTPI for its innovative masterplan approach to bringing forward the development of the site.
This is the fifth year in a row that Brighton and Hove has won a regional RTPI award and it is the eighth regional award since 2006.
The city’s planning team has won 17 awards over the past seven years, including the coveted national planning award for sustainable communities earlier this year.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s Nature Conservation and Development Supplementary Planning document gives practical advice on how to include nature conservation into new development proposals.
Most developments in Brighton and Hove have no significant effect on wildlife but a small proportion could damage the city’s natural assets.
The guidance aims to make sure that developments conserve natural habitats and wildlife.
The guidelines provide a clear process for developers to follow from initial assessment through to aftercare once the development has been built.
The council’s cabinet member for environment, Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, said: “It is particularly fitting that this planning guidance has received regional recognition in the International Year of Biodiversity.
“Many development proposals have the potential to benefit local diversity, whether it’s providing bird nesting boxes, wildlife friendly landscaping and green roofs or walls.”
The document also outlines how developers could address the regional rain water shortage through water conservation measures such as rainfall harvesting in wildlife ponds, using rainwater irrigation and drought resistant plants.
The planning brief for the former Royal Alexandra Hospital tests five different design and land use options for the site and is also informed by a comprehensive conservation assessment and financial appraisal of the five different options.
The brief identifies a preferred development option which retains and converts the main hospital building into flats and combines this with new residential development to the rear of the site.
There was extensive consultation with local people and amenity societies as well as with the owner Taylor Wimpey UK.
