A public inquiry to decide whether the University of Sussex’s plans to extend the Falmer campus should be approved or not is to be held in October.
The £500m plans for 4,000 student bedsits and modern academic facilities, in some cases replacing 1960s buildings, were turned down by Brighton and Hove City Council last year.
The inquiry will be held on 20 October at Brighton Town Hall.
The plans were rejected by the council’s planning committee in June as it would be too dense, and would lead to the loss of too many trees (although the council proposed planting hundreds more to compensate).
It also said the accompanying increase in student numbers could have a negative impact on the city’s housing stock.
However, the scheme has been backed by Brighton Kemptown MP Simon Kirby, who says the campus accommodation would ease pressure on Moulsecoomb and Bevendean.
The planning inspector will also hold an informal hearing to decide Brighton College’s appeal against dismissal of its plans to knock down its pool and music rooms and cut down an elm tree to build a new five storey academic building at a date to be confirmed.
This just sounds retarded. How much will this public inquiry cost, and how much of that money will be paid directly into the pockets of a few lawyers? If only there were some journalists in this town who could find such things out!
B&HCC’s objections as reported seem bizarre: that there would be pressure on housing in B&H and loss of trees… when of course there would be no loss of trees as replacements would be planted, and building student accomodation on the campus (which is what the campus is there for in the first place!!) REDUCES pressure on the city’s housing stock.
Are B&HCC total idiots or is this just a backhander to a lawyer who will be “chairing” this public enquiring and earning a 6-figure sum of public money in the process?
But where do all the additional students go after their first year on campus? Surely this will increase pressure on housing stock?
well if they build more on campus rooms they’ll be able to offer more to 2nd and 3rd year students, duh. And still make a fortune charging for it.
How do you know all the new rooms won’t be filled by new students? How many will be left for 2nd and 3rd year? There wont be enough for all of them so this will NOT reduce the pressure on the cities housing stock. duh