Hundreds share their views on how the City Plan should look

Hundreds of people have responded to the first consultation on updating the City Plan – Brighton and Hove’s strategic planning blueprint until 2041.

More than 500 adults took part in a Brighton and Hove City Council survey, with a further 200 young people completing a separate questionnaire, members of the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee were told yesterday (Wednesday 17 July).

The figures were more than double the number of people who responded when the previous initial consultation was held.

A presentation to the committee said that the social media engagement, with more than 96,000 post impressions and 17,000-plus video views was better than the council average.

But the questions in the consultation were described as “not provocative enough” as they did not challenge people on what was the most important issue when it came to future development.

Everything suggested, such as the need for affordable homes, brownfield development, the need for industrial floorspace and concerns about second homes, student housing and short-term lets, was considered important by the public.

Despite the improved response rate, there was less engagement from those in their twenties and thirties and limited attendance at some library sessions.

There was controversy over “urban fringe” sites, allocated for housing in the previous City Plan, and the presentation to councillors said that the council would commission further studies for more sites.

Earlier this year, controversial plans for housing in Benfield Valley were approved, one of the urban fringe sites included in City Plan Part Two.

People in Swanborough Drive, Whitehawk, campaigned against the butterfly bank being included as an urban fringe where homes could be built.

In February, the council submitted plans to build two blocks of 36 flats on the site which used to be a playground.

Labour councillor Ty Goddard asked why the City Plan process was important and required scrutiny.

The council’s director of place, Max Woodford, said: “The local plan shapes all development in the city for the next 15 years. I would argue it’s one of the most important things a council does.

“What’s fascinating is often when you get to the planning application stage, when there’s a conflict around sites, a lot of it is already set by what’s in policy.

“If people take part in the local plan stage, that’s when they can shape things.”

He said that the process was a “long slog”, with further consultations to follow, discussion by the council’s cabinet and finally a vote of the full council to approve the plan – expected in 2028.

Councillor Goddard, who was previously the lead councillor for economic development, raised the lack of industrial floor space and the falling number of school pupils, citing a lack of affordable starter homes.

He said: “On those two points, I could not see how the City Plan was going to help the city remedy those two issues.”

Mr Woodford said that the plan was there to control the mix of land uses and the council aimed to understand residents’ priorities.

A draft plan is due to go before the council’s cabinet next spring, followed by public consultation over summer 2026.

Then, in 2027, after any amendments, the plan would go out for public consultation again before being submitted to the government for examination in early 2028.