Work yet to start on 800 homes with planning permission in Brighton and Hove

Work has yet to start on more than 800 homes in Brighton and Hove even though planning permission has been granted.

Brighton and Hove Conservatives urged developers to “get building” after they uncovered the figures.

Councillor Lynda Hyde, who used to chair the Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Committee, asked a written question at the full council meeting last Thursday (17 July).

She asked: “Given the significant pressure for development on the city’s urban fringe, how many potential housing units across the city are there that currently have planning permission which have yet to start on site and have started on site but have yet to be completed?”

Councillor Phélim MacCafferty, who currently chairs the Planning Committee, replied. He said that work had yet to start on 828 houses or flats with planning permission.

Councillor Lynda Hyde

He added that work had started on 1,510 houses or flats with planning permission but had yet to be completed.

Councillor Hyde said: “Given the current surge in house prices in Brighton and Hove, and with such a shortage of property, I was frankly pretty surprised to hear that there are so many potential new homes out there just waiting to be built.

“It is good news that over 1,500 new homes will be coming on to the market in the near future.

“But I would hope that developers can get building these additional 828 as soon as possible – not least because the council has just put the city’s valuable green ‘urban fringe’ under threat by identifying sites here for a potential extra 1,200 new homes which it says are necessary to placate the government’s planning inspector.

“However, these 828 homes that already have planning permission are all on previously developed brownfield sites.

“We believe that brownfield sites should always be developed wherever possible before greenfield ones are even considered.”