Benfield Valley: Plans submitted for 101 homes off Hangleton Lane

Hollybrook Homes said it has put in new plans to Brighton and Hove City Council which would see development in Benfield Valley north of Hangleton Lane.

It comes after a community consultation at the end of last year.

Hollybrook said it wants to create plans which would develop “a sustainable community living in harmony with nature”.

Under the newly submitted plans, the 101 homes would all be built on land north of Hangleton Lane. The previous plans centred on land south of the road.

Hollybrook said 40 per cent of the homes would be “affordable” and that 90 per cent of Benfield Valley would remain undeveloped.

The plans also include measures to renovate the historic Benfield Barn and move the development slightly east in a bid to create more space for wildlife.

David Godden, of Benfield Property Ltd, a susbsidiary of Hollybrook, said: “We have listened to the local community and have adapted our proposals so that all homes are placed on an area to the northern side of Hangleton Lane, on private golf course land, using the old car park and some of the footgolf holes as the main construction area, though the footgolf can also continue next to the site.

“We are proposing a community parkland to the south of Hangleton Lane, which was allocated for housing in the City Plan, and will invest in landscaping, protecting the BMX track, created by local young people, and improving footpaths, play areas and signage. We commit to help set up a community parkland trust, with funding for its ongoing protection and maintenance.

Benfield Valley protesters (Image: The Benfield Valley Project)

“We have ensured there is enough car parking spaces around the homes to avoid spreading into surrounding streets and have proposed moving the central crossing island on Hangleton Lane to make the crossing for pedestrians between the public pathway and park areas safer.

“We have also commissioned experts to undertake a traffic assessment and it shows the site will have a minimal impact locally.”

Any plans to build homes in Benfield Valley have proved controversial with campaigners describing the area as the “last green lung in Hove” and calling for the space to be protected as a nature reserve.

Brighton and Hove City Council approved the building of 100 homes in the area in its City Plan in 2022.

A community consultation was held on the plans at the end of 2023 which urged people to have their say on development.

According to Hollybrook, 88 per cent of people said they preferred that homes were solely situated on the land north of Hangleton Lane.