Conservatives' Brighton and Hove City Plan Part 2 vision

Members of the opposition group on Brighton and Hove City Council say their vision would protect the family home, deliver a low-carbon economy and save greenfield land.

The proposals, called amendments, are for the City Plan Part Two, the council’s framework for policy decisions and serves, in part, to encourage developers to build in a certain way.

Councillor Robert Nemeth, who is leading on the Conservative group’s vision, said: “The City Plan is the council’s largest piece of work and it is carried out every 15 years or so.

“It is the overarching strategy behind what gets built and how, with rules and regulations on just about every linked topic imaginable.

“The key to our strategy is encouraging the creation and protection of homes of all shapes and sizes rather than accepting the continued push for smaller and smaller homes.

“As part of this, we will be moving to stop the continued assault by the Labour/Green administration on family homes. Our amendments seek to ensure that there is a place for everyone in our city in the future.”

The City Plan Part One was adopted in March 2016 and sets a framework in which all development decisions are made until 2030.

Part Two “supports implementation and delivery” of Part One by allocating additional development sites and setting detailed objectives.

Conservatives say their amendments will protect the family home, deliver a low-carbon future and save the city’s greenfield sites from development.

Greenfield sites are undeveloped areas of land which are either used for agriculture, landscape design or left to evolve naturally.

This could include Whitehawk Hill in Brighton.

A brownfield site is an area that has been used before, usually for industrial or commercial purposes. This could include areas such as the King Alfred in Hove.

Cllr Nemeth said: “Continuing our successful work to protect green spaces and promote biodiversity, we are embracing residents’ concern for the environment by taking a stand against the destruction of more greenfield land. As Conservatives we have fought time and again to protect greenfield land and we will be taking up that fight on behalf of residents once again.

“Labour’s failure to bring forward brownfield sites in Brighton and Hove for development over its five years in administration has led to this alarming plan to push into greenfield land, much of which contains important and rare species of plant.

“The environment should not have to suffer because of this Labour administration’s mismanagement of the housing portfolio.

“We will also be moving to ensure that this plan actually delivers a thriving low-carbon economy whilst boosting our economy. We have great concerns that the plan does not go far enough and that it will be out of date before it is implemented. This must be addressed.”

The City Plan is one of the largest pieces of work the council carries out. It was due to be debated and voted upon at full council on April 2.

It has been temporarily postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Conservative group leader Steve Bell said: “The environment should not have to suffer because of the Labour administration’s failure to properly develop brownfield land in the city. The Labour administration, which has been in power for five years, has failed to unlock the potential of brownfield sites in the city.

“Residents often comment on the many vacant brownfield sites and empty plots of land they see dotted around the city which Labour has not managed or developed properly.

“We have fought to protect our greenfield land in the past and our Conservative group will take a strong stand against the development of the city’s greenfield land.”

Labour councillor Nick Childs, lead member for planning policy, responded: “We can all agree on the importance of our open spaces, which is why City Plan Part Two builds on Part One that all parties including the Tories voted for, with 90 per cent of land allocated for development on brownfield sites, and stringent policies in place to protect biodiversity and public access.

“Indeed, Labour has identified 180 brownfield sites which could provide 8,000 homes. Major brownfield sites earmarked for development include the old gas works in East Brighton as well as the former coal yard in Hove.

“City Plan Part Two agrees some of the details already enacted in Part One.

“These include supporting and encouraging the building of many more good family homes with an emphasis on genuine affordability, removal of the vast majority of greenfield sites previously identified by the central Government Planning Inspector, strong ecological building requirements and some of the toughest restrictions on protecting family homes from being turned into houses of multiple occupancy in the UK.”