DEVASSIST: 495 Homes Approved at Brighton Gasworks as Council Ordered to Pay Costs
The planning minister has overturned Brighton and Hove City Council’s refusal of a major regeneration scheme at the former Brighton Gasworks, granting permission for 495 new homes and ordering the authority to cover the developer’s costs.
Planning inspector DM Young found that the council had failed to provide adequate evidence to support its reasons for refusal, despite spending £160,000 contesting the appeal. In his decision, Young criticised the authority for vague and inaccurate submissions and for not reconsidering its position in light of national policy changes.
The appeal, recovered by the Secretary of State in January 2025, related to proposals by St William Homes, part of the Berkeley Group. The application, first submitted in November 2021, sought to transform the two-hectare brownfield site into a mixed-use development featuring nearly 500 energy-efficient homes, commercial floorspace, new public realm and walking routes.
While council officers had recommended approval on the basis that public benefits outweighed identified harms, members of the planning committee rejected the scheme in May 2023. Their concerns included overdevelopment, insufficient provision of larger homes, and amenity impacts linked to the height and spacing of the proposed blocks.
On inquiry, however, the inspector concluded that none of these arguments held up. He highlighted that the site is allocated in the local plan for substantial housing growth, has historically accommodated large structures, and sits alongside existing tall buildings. He described the development’s benefits as “very substantial”, pointing to the remediation of a contaminated site, the delivery of much-needed housing in a city with persistent undersupply, a biodiversity net gain of almost 2,000 per cent, and wider enhancements to East Brighton.
The inspector decided that the limited heritage and amenity impacts did not outweigh these benefits, nor did they justify applying the tilted balance in favour of sustainable development under the NPPF. Planning minister Matthew Pennycook endorsed this conclusion in his decision letter, confirming consent for the scheme.
As part of the ruling, the council was ordered to pay the appellant’s costs in full. Young found that the authority had “prevented or delayed development which should clearly be permitted” and failed to substantiate its reasons for refusal.
Deputy council leader Jacob Taylor expressed disappointment at both the decision and the costs award, noting the pressure on local authority finances. For St William Homes, the outcome was welcomed as a long-overdue unlocking of a strategic housing site.
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