Preston Barracks Regeneration Approved by Planners

The Momentum: Lewes Road project, by the University of Brighton and developer U+I, aims to regenerate Preston Barracks and the university's Moulsecoomb campus.

Developers said the 369 homes will include 15 per cent affordable housing, and there will be 1,338 purpose built student bedrooms on site in managed halls of residence. The blueprint also includes a new home for the university's Business School and U+I will deliver a 50,000sq ft hub for start-up and SME businesses, dubbed the Central Research Laboratory'; a project supported with grant funding from Coast to Capital, the Local Enterprise Partnership, which will create hundreds of new jobs. Brighton and Hove City Council's planning committee unanimously approved the scheme last night (September 28), despite concerns from residents and environmental groups over the impact of the scheme. There were 76 objections to the scheme, over traffic, the height of the buildings, the loss of privacy, and the studentification of the area. But the developers argued by putting 1,338 student rooms on the site, it would reduce the number of student houses in the area. Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth had concerns about the amount of parking on the site, which would be a 28 per cent rise in car parking, which it said would increase traffic, congestion and air pollution.

There were 418 letters of support for the project, saying the scheme would regenerate the area, provide much-needed homes and reduce the demand for the use of houses for students (HMOs). Permission covers the redevelopment of three adjacent sites along Lewes Road. These include the derelict former Preston Barracks site, plus the current car parks of the University of Brighton's Watts House and Mithras House. A new public footbridge across Lewes Road will unify the campus and make the busy route less of a barrier for local communities. The £300 scheme is expected to bring in a total of £500m to the city's economy over 10 years.

As part of a planning agreement with the city council, developers will pay £1.7m for local recreation and open space provision, £371,000 for local employment schemes, £255,000 to improve local sustainable transport and £83,000 for improving or expanding five local nurseries.

The Preston Barracks site will be developed with: a seven-storey research laboratory; 534 bed spaces of student accommodation in three blocks of between 13 and 15 storeys; 369 residential units consisting of 45 studio apartments, 111 one-bed, 192 two-bed and 21 three-bed units in eight blocks ranging from two to 10 storeys; a ground floor workshop; commercial and retail space; and 156 parking and cycle spaces. Mithras House site will be a mixed-use campus development consisting of: 804 units of student accommodation in five blocks of between nine and 18 storeys; students' union and welfare facilities; a gym; 13 disabled student parking spaces; and a pedestrian /cycle bridge crossing Lewes Road. Watts House site has outline planning permission for: a six-storey academic building for a Business School; a 551-space, eight-storey car park to the rear; cycle parking; plus public realm and landscaping improvements.

Richard Upton, deputy chief executive of U+I, said:

"This is a major milestone for the Preston Barracks project, one of the largest and most ambitious regeneration projects to have been brought forward in Brighton for a number of years. We have the opportunity to transform this area of Brighton, which has been derelict for 20 years and deliver a huge number of benefits to the local community and the wider city.Our Circus Street project is also moving forward at great pace, regenerating another important part of the city. We will deliver world class, imaginative urban design on each project, building on the bohemian audacity of the Prince Regent and leaving a lasting legacy that befits such an inspirational city."

 

Professor Debra Humphris, vice chancellor of the University of Brighton, said:

"We are delighted that our plans have been approved. This partnership aims to deliver one of the most ambitious and transformational projects for the city in a neighbourhood where meaningful regeneration is long overdue. The scheme has the potential to have a huge positive impact both for the local community and wider city, as we look to deliver on our aspiration to create an inspiring place where people can live, work and learn together."

 

Planning committee chairman Cllr Julie Cattell said:

"This brings new life, jobs and homes to the long-derelict Barracks site and makes better use of other spaces. It will improve facilities and provide much-needed purpose-built accommodation for undergraduates, which is currently underprovided for on campus. Student accommodation is extremely important to reduce demand for shared houses. The design of the scheme has evolved over a many months, responding positively to comments from officers and the Design South East Panel, and will create an exciting new academic, commercial and residential quarter. This project meets a key aim of our planning strategy - to help grow the local economy. Higher education is one of the city's key industries. This also provides a home for our industries of the future."