Sussex submits planning application for campus masterplan
The University of Sussex has submitted the formal planning application for a revised masterplan to cover the future development of campus.
Key issues identified in the detailed application being submitted today (Friday 20 December) to Brighton & Hove City Council include landscape and visual impact; ecology; archaeology; traffic and transport; and sustainable design.
The detail of the application will be scrutinised by council planning officers and councillors over the coming months and the University expects the masterplan to be formally considered at council planning meetings in April or May 2014.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Farthing, says: “We are seeking to develop with Brighton & Hove City Council, Lewes District Council and other partners a shared agreement that meets the needs of the University and the wider community of which we are a vital part.”
The University worked with master-planners and architects, ADP, to create the first campus masterplan in 2004. This provided a planning framework to support the University’s ambitious building and regeneration programme, in line with the academic mission and plans for strategic development.
Much of that development has been delivered in support of the 2009 strategic plan, Making the Future – including Fulton, the new teaching building; Jubilee, the home of the growing School of Business, Management and Economics; and Northfield, the major 1,100-bed residences.
For the next phase of development, the University has continued to work with ADP to revise the masterplan so that that the campus can accommodate the University’s growing activity as it expands to 18,000 students and beyond.
This design approach has been in development and discussion within the campus community over the last 18 months.
The planning application this week follows presentations and displays for students and staff in November as well as an informal meeting of University staff with elected councillors and planning officials.
Professor Farthing says: “When we showed our plans to councillors back in November, they recognised the need for the continued development of the University and the significant contribution that we make to the local economy and culture of Brighton and Hove.
“We have heard and understood the concerns that councillors expressed about the pressure on housing in the city and ensuring that we build sufficient accommodation on our campus, as well as working to find housing solutions off campus.
“As the University looks forward to continued growth in the next five years to 2018 and now sits alongside the South Downs National Park, the sensitive development of the Sussex campus is more critical than ever.”
Detailed information about the new campus masterplan is available online.