The first planning application to extend the use of Brighton’s open spaces is now open for public comment – days after the legal limit for using the site in question was breached.
A high court ruling last year means the use of open spaces for events for more than four weeks – including set up and take down – now needs planning permission.
Brighton and Hove City Council has increasingly hired out its public spaces in recent years, partly to raise money to mitigate the fall in government funding for local services.
To continue doing this, it is applying for permission to extend this period at a number of sites including Victoria Gardens, Preston Park, Hove Lawns, Jubilee Gardens and Hove Park.
The first of these applications, to use St Peter’s Church Ground for up to 60 days a year for the next five years is now on the council’s planning portal.
It says the main use of the site this year will be for Caravanserai, which finishes on Sunday – weeks before the application will be decided.
The application, written by DMH Stallard planning consultants, says: “It is arguable that many of the events held across the city’s parks and spaces are not materially different to the normal day to day use of these spaces and proceed as planned without them being noticed by anyone as out of the ordinary.
“However, for the purpose of this planning application, we have taken a broad approach encapsulating all events that the council grant a land hire agreement for within the application site.
“St Peters Church Ground has been used to host events associated with Brighton Fringe for several years and has previously been used to host Caravanserai as part of the fringe festival in 2023, as well as fringe events between 2018 – 2014 [sic].”
It says Caravanserai, which has a capacity of 1,500 people, will use the site for 51 days, leaving nine days for short notice events to be held there.
Any event using the site would have to agree to play music quietly enough that it’s inaudible at the nearest noise monitor from 11pm.
The organiser has to submit a noise management plan to the council at least 28 days before the event.
The application says: “It is inevitable that some impacts will not be fully mitigated to everyone’s satisfaction as different people have different tolerances to noise even at low levels. However, it is considered that a combination of the Council’s guidelines and operation of the licensing regime will be an effective means to mitigate any harm as far as possible, ensuring that no unacceptable harm will occur.”
It also says the “poor quality modified grassland” which the events are held on has the same biodiversity value as bare earth, and so if it’s lost, there’s no measurable loss in that respect. Meanwhile, measures are taken to protect the trees on site.
It adds: “The events programme generates direct income for the council through fees charged for the hire of parks and open spaces, event licensing, and associated commercial charges.
“The council’s open spaces events programme 2025 report to cabinet (14 November 2024) records that the outdoor events income 28 target for 2024/25 was £611,420.
“A cessation or significant reduction of events would therefore remove this direct income stream, requiring additional savings from other service areas.”
There is a reason why planning permission is required for an event that last more than 28 days, and that is for the public to comment on the event before it happens not afterwards
The grass in the area is of such poor quality it might as well be bare soil. We request that any impact of events just like the one we’re applying for , essentially in a retroactive manner, isn’t considered, debated and/or investigated regarding any officially noted or recorded data as well as any other records such as public discussions and/or media ( printed news, local, regional or national radio coverage as well as any comparable items on any broadcast entity/ organisation).
Any observed, recorded and or reported datasets that could be interpreted to comment, question or support any points of view as well as any officially or privately commissioned studies that indicate, suggest, imply or highlight a claim that soil, grass quality or the likes may have been impacted, degraded, damaged and/or lowered by said site(s) repeated and extended periods where the installation of multiple temporary structures, heavy and light plant equipments situating, large/mass seating installations or both heavy and light duty temporary roadways/ pathing are mere speculation and conjecture.
Any investigation of any form would impose undue and unjust requirements or conditions upon the applicant and/or its authorised agents/ representatives ( who someone, not sure who, totally accidentally forgot to apply in advance or comply with established, formal, planning procedures).
Said someone, probably, maybe, so I heard from Bob down the pub the other day but if they did say it no one’s got a clue who they were.