Plan for 101-home development to go before council

Plans to build 101 homes in East Sussex will go before councillors next month despite landlord Brighton & Hove City Council pulling the plug on the project.

The proposed development in Benfield Valley, Hove, is for mostly three and four-bedroom family houses and some flats.

But last week the council said it was unwilling to grant landlord's consent because of a covenant on the land, requiring it only be used for leisure and recreation.

Nevertheless, the application, which received nearly 300 objections from residents, is still set to go before the council's planning committee on 2 April.

Those opposing the development have raised concerns about road access and traffic, and affects on the biodiversity in the area.

A report to the planning committee supports the scheme, subject to legal agreements, although the nine councillors that make up the planning committee must reach their own decision.

The site is just north of Hangleton Lane and east of the A293 link road and includes designated green space.

Its restrictive covenant was drawn up when the land was gifted to the locals by the Sainsbury family more than 30 years ago, says the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council owns the freehold but has leased the land and the application was submitted last summer by the leaseholder Benfield Investments Ltd and Benfield Property Ltd, working with developer Hollybrook Homes.

The developer said that, following the public outcry, initial plans for the site had been amended to include community parkland, doubling the size of the proposed wildlife corridor, and the preservation of more protected trees.

David Godden, from Benfield Property, added: "We believe these changes have struck the right balance between protecting the local environment – 90% of Benfield Valley remaining undeveloped – and providing very much-needed housing to help solve the housing crisis."

Regarding concerns about road access and traffic, he said that the A293 link road and surrounding residential roads were already busy at peak times.

However, conservation groups including The Benfield Valley Project and Sussex Wildlife Trust oppose the proposal along with current and former councillors for the local ward.

John Hewitt, councillor for Hangleton and Knoll said: "The site is chalk grassland which accommodates wildlife and vegetation.

"This proposal would jeopardise the biodiversity in this area."

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