16 hours Ago
A former councillor has said the council "should be ashamed of itself" after it approved controversial plans for more than 100 homes on what has been described as “the last green lung in Hove”. Ex-Brighton and Hove City councillor Dawn Barnett condemned the council’s decision to give the green light to the housing project in Benfield Valley, Hangleton, and said the community will not stop fighting against the development. On Wednesday, c ampaigners gathered outside Hove Town Hall prior to the planning committee meeting to protest against the application by Benfield Investments Ltd and Benfield Property Ltd to build on the site just north of Hangleton Lane and east of the A293 link road.
As councillors walked into the town hall, some protestors booed while a loudspeaker from a car boomed with the chant “save Benfield Valley”. The plans were approved but houses cannot currently be built on the land. Campaigners outside Hove Town Hall (Image: Argus staff) Before the planning committee meeting, Brighton and Hove City Council said that it was unwilling to grant landlord’s consent because of a covenant on the land, requiring that its use be restricted to leisure and recreation.
But councillors were told this was not a planning consideration when they voted – eight for and one against the plans. Part of the site was also allocated for some housing in an official strategic planning blueprint known as the city plan after a government planning inspector gave the council little choice but to include a number of “urban fringe” sites across Brighton and Hove. Benfield Valley is also a designated a special area, a local wildlife site and green space.
The restrictive covenant on the land was drawn up when it was gifted to the people of Hove by the Sainsbury’s family more than 30 years ago. The council retains the free hold but has leased the land – and the application was submitted by the leaseholder Benfield Investments Ltd and Benfield Property Ltd, working with family-run developer Hollybrook Homes. The developer's plans include building 39 houses and 62 flats and maisonettes in three blocks up to four storeys high.
Most of the housing would be three or four-bed family homes. Ms Barnett said the site should be turned into a nature reserve. “We are thoroughly disappointed by the outcome of the planning meeting," she said.
"I have been fighting against the Benfield Valley Project since I was elected in 2004, the community have been fighting it too and we will not stop now. “The council should have taken the lease back from the developers and turned the land into a nature reserve, which it is. “They had no intention of rejecting the planning proposal.
It should have been taken it out of the city plan to begin with. Full Aerial View Over Benfield Valley provided by Natural PR on behalf of Benfield Property Limite “The council should be ashamed of itself. "This is an area of the community which is used as a safe space.
“During Covid-19, many elderly people were using the land to go for walks and to help with their mental health during a really disastrous and scary time. “To this day, kids play on the land, people go for walks and dog walks – it all just benefits the community. Housing is important and nobody is denying that but there is better suited land.
“The council will be building housing on Hove Park before long if this keeps up.” MP Peter Kyle joined residents in 2022 (Image: MP Peter Kyle) Labour MP for Hove and Portslade Peter Kyle was also vocal about his rejection to the proposal in 2022 when he joined Hangleton residents to keep Benfield Valley as a green space. Reacting to the decision at the planning committee, he told The Argus: "My understanding is that while the application was approved by planning, this does not solve the problem for the developers that the council hold a lease for the land and are not prepared to change the terms of it to allow building.
“So, although the developer has planning permission they cannot build on the land. So, residents, who are so deeply against this development, should be reassured. “We now await the developer's response to the lease issue and closure on the issue.
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