Revised proposals for Momentum Lewes Road, the regeneration of Preston Barracks and the University of Brighton’s Moulsecoomb campus, expected to create over 1,000 jobs and bring over £500 million pounds of economic benefit to the city’s economy, will be on display at a public exhibition opening on November 18.
The joint planning application for three sites; the University of Brighton’s Watts car park and Mithras car park sites on either side of the Lewes Road and neighbouring Preston Barracks, is expected to be submitted to Brighton & Hove City Council Planning Department in the coming few months.
The scheme includes more than 370 new homes, over 1,300 managed student bedrooms, a 50,000 sq ft hub for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs and a new home for the university’s Business School and new teaching and learning facilities.
The exhibition shows how feedback received at a public consultation held in April has been taken on board. The revised proposals demonstrate adjustments to building heights, the inclusion of small retail, café and workshop units designed for independent businesses and the inclusion of facilities such as gym and outdoor play equipment.
A comprehensive transport and travel plan has also been developed for the proposals which details road junction improvements and car parking with 750 spaces provided on the sites.
At the core of the scheme design is improved connectivity. The provision of a striking new pedestrian bridge across Lewes Road, new public routes, squares and crossings will aid access across the sites and Lewes Road, providing connections to the bus routes and Moulsecoomb station. The provision of lifts, ramps and landscaped steps will further aid accessibility.
The designs promote a healthy, vibrant and sustainable new place, with special features such a 1km running and fitness route around the site, with fitness equipment at key points for use by the whole community, and cycle docks to support the city’s new cycle hire scheme, as well as over 1,000 cycle parking spaces.
Taking its cue from the South Downs National Park and Brighton’s biosphere status, the designs have placed a heavy emphasis on landscaping, with input from Old Tree, a zero waste company which manages the café at FIELD, one of a number of creative tenants operating from the refurbished former Territorial Army building, supported by U+I Plc with funding from Coast 2 Capital, the Local Enterprise Partnership.
Sarah Chitty, Development Manager for U+I Plc, said, “We have loved working with Old Tree who have created a green oasis right next door to a busy road at FIELD. They have inspired us to look into how food production and edible landscaping can be included in the landscape proposals.”
Richard Upton from U+I Plc said, “We have taken the time to listen carefully to local people’s ideas and concerns and have taken them on board in our proposals, particularly looking at how to make a vibrant new area of the city that benefits local residents and students and staff at the University.”
Debra Humphris, Vice Chancellor of University of Brighton, said, “We are very excited about the proposed redevelopment of our Moulsecoomb campus. The plans are bold and imaginative and will help to transform a much-neglected stretch of Lewes Road. The new campus will deliver significant benefits for our students, staff and local residents by creating a great place to live, work and learn. And by delivering over 1,300 additional student bedrooms, at the same time as holding our student numbers at their current numbers, we will take pressure off local private housing.”
Cllr Warren Morgan, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said, “This major development is key to delivering new homes and jobs for Brighton & Hove, to reducing the student pressure on housing and to driving economic growth which benefits the whole city.”
Addressing a detailed brief for development by Brighton & Hove City Council and working with award-winning architects Studio Egret West and HASSELL, this employment-led regeneration scheme will create an estimated 1,000 new jobs and contribute £500 million to the city’s economy over the next ten years.
The exhibition is open to the public from 12pm to 8pm on Friday November 18 and 10am to 2pm on Saturday November 19 at FIELD at Preston Barracks. See www.momentumlewesroad.com for more information.
