Decision - Lewes Road (Preston Barracks and University of Brighton) Planning brief

(1)         That the Cabinet Member for Planning, Employment, Economy & Regeneration notes the results of the public consultation held in April and May and the resulting changes that have been proposed to the planning brief.

(2)         That the Cabinet Member for Planning, Employment, Economy & Regeneration approves the amended planning brief and that it be adopted by the council for development control purposes.

The report asks the cabinet member to note the results of the consultation, the  resulting changes that have been proposed to the brief and to approve the adoption of the document for development control purposes, in order to ensure that stakeholder and community consultation has been taken into account and that the brief will be a useful and democratic tool in guiding future planning decisions and development in the area.

An alternative to preparing a planning brief would have been to do nothing, thereby relying on out of date policy guidance that does not reflect changing circumstances that have arisen over the last three years.  

A further alternative would have been to prepare a supplementary planning document (SPD).  Although they do not carry the same statutory weight as SPDs, planning briefs can be prepared more rapidly in response to development pressures and changes in situation. The fact that this planning brief has been the subject of widespread community and stakeholder consultation should afford it status as a valid material consideration in the planning process.  It takes due account of national planning guidance, adopted and emerging development plan policies and applies them to the development aspirations of the council and the university with regard to the Preston Barracks, Moulsecoomb Campus and Mithras House sites.