Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Committee this afternoon (January 28) voted to turn down an application to build 85 new houses on the Meadow Vale site in Ovendean.
THE controversial application submitted by Lightwood Strategic Development Company has been opposed by local residents and councillors, the local Labour parliamentary candidate, and the local Conservative MP for Kemptown and Peacehaven, who argued that the 3.7 hectares of land helps the Ovingdean, Rottingdean and Woodingdean villages maintain their individual identities and characters.
Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton and Peacehaven, who worked alongside the Save Our Deans protest group to oppose the application, says: “I have campaigned for a long time against this proposal and I am obviously delighted that the application has been refused. This is a positive step forward for local people. I also pay tribute to the work of the Save Our Deans group, which has worked so hard against this proposal. Local people have also made their voices heard loud and clear on this matter.”
“It remains my firm belief that the City Council should be looking at brownfield sites and city centre sites where the existing infrastructure is in place to support development to deliver new housing in the city.”
Jim Wright of the Deans Preservation Group, added: “We would like to thank Simon for all his help and hard work on this issue and for his commitment to seeing the threat to Meadow Vale removed.”
Nancy Platts, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said: “I am delighted that planning permission for the development of the Meadow Vale site has been refused. This is a victory for the local community and the people who have campaigned so hard to protect their area from overdevelopment. I have always opposed these proposals, which would have placed a huge strain on already overcrowded roads and put extra pressure on schools and bus services.
“We now need an urgent review of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to stop every green space being targeted by developers. The NPPF has created a ‘free for all’ in our countryside and it is a great shame our Conservative MP didn’t think ahead to the local ramifications of voting for the new law in Parliament at the time.”
The 12-member planning committee voted 11 against with one abstention.