Old Brighton market site plans go on show

The public have been invited to share their ideas for the old fruit and veg market in Circus Street in Brighton.

The site has been earmarked for a mix of new homes and university buildings with a dance studio and places to eat and drink.

But the detail of the design has yet to be decided for the £100 million scheme, according to Cathedral Group, the developer.

Richard Upton, Cathedral’s managing director, said: “We want to transform this area, bringing it back to life, contributing significantly to the growth of Brighton and Hove’s economy and creating a beautiful new place to live and work.”

The company is working with Brighton University, Brighton and Hove City Council and South East Dance as project partners on the scheme.

The site is housing an exhibition from 10am to 4pm tomorrow (Friday 26 April) and on Saturday as part of the consultation.

The project partners are aiming to create an exemplary green development which they expect will contribute £200 million to the local economy over the next ten years.

The derelict market building has been empty since 2005 when the fruit and veg wholesalers moved to Crowhurst Road in Hollingbury.

If the project wins planning permission, it will include

180 homes
400 managed student flats
3,000 sq m of office space
A new university arts library
A teaching block
A dance studio
Shops and cafés
Green squares and food-growing spaces
600 cycle parking spaces
56 car parking spaces

Tony Mernagh, chief executive of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said: “This is the city’s opportunity to turn a scene of dereliction into a vibrant addition to the city’s business and education offer.

“The outline proposals for the site are among the most exciting and imaginative the partnership has ever seen.”

Anne Boddington, dean of Brighton University’s Faculty of Arts, said: “We see this as a great opportunity to enhance the facilities we have for our students and staff.

“The new library and learning centre for the arts that we are proposing in Circus Street will showcase our extraordinary creative resources and include publicly accessible exhibition space, allowing us to invite the city’s communities to collaborate and see our work and our historic design collections.”

Rob Sloper from Cathedral, Councillor Geoffrey Bowden, Anne Boddington from Brighton University and adviser Scott Marshall view a model of the area – picture by Jim Holden

Jamie Watton, the chief executive officer and artistic director of South East Dance, said: “South East Dance is excited about creating a new home for dance in Brighton and Hove and the South East.

“The Dance Space will be a place for dance artists and companies to thrive as well as a community hub for people to discover and enjoy dance.

“Our new creation space and studios will enable us to attract and host significant dance companies and artists to the city and in doing so help to retain up to £1.2 million which is currently leaking out of the local economy because artists work elsewhere.”

South East Dance forecast that more than 50,000 people would visit or use the proposed Dance Space each year including those attending performances.

Councillor Jason Kitkat, the leader of the council, said: “We are pleased to be working in such close partnership with Cathedral, the University of Brighton and South East Dance to drive this regeneration.

“The area is changing for the better and the really strong economic and social benefits that this scheme will generate are part of that change.

“It’s good to see progress with yet another regeneration project in central Brighton.

“Despite the recession there is now a lot of regeneration activity going on in this area.

“The Open Market project and associated housing is well under way. The council is overseeing a multimillion-pound regeneration of The Level and work has started regenerating the old Co-op building while keeping its façade.”