Contents

  1. Heritage
  2. Sustainability
  3. Waste

Heritage

City Plan Part One Policy CP15 and retained Local Plan Policies HE1-HE12 aim to ensure that the historic environment plays an integral part in the future of the city. In addition to these policies, the council has also produced a Conservation Strategy and an Architectural Features Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).   

There are 480 Listed Buildings graded I and II* in the city. There are 11 buildings graded I and II* on the current Historic England ‘At Risk’ Register 2022, including five listed places of worship. The number of buildings at risk has increased from 7 in 2013/14.  

Five of the 34 conservation areas in the city are currently included on the Historic England ‘At Risk’ register. This includes the Benfield Barn, East Cliff, Old Town, Sackville Gardens and Valley Gardens Conservation Areas.  

The Queens Park Conservation Area was at risk in the previous monitoring year, however, has since been removed. A Character Statement for the Queens Park was published in September 2018, and an Article 4 Direction took effect on 4 June 2022 to provide additional planning controls in the conservation area. These actions are important steps towards addressing the current threats in conservation areas.  

Information about conservation areas and listed buildings can be accessed via the Heritage page of the council website.

2. Sustainability

The Council declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency in December 2018 and has made a commitment as a city to become carbon neutral by 2030. The implementation of planning policies in the City Plan can help achieve this commitment. 

Energy efficiency standards are sought through Policy CP8 of the City Plan Part One. In 2021/22, 77% of new build residential completions were completed with a requirement for the standard to achieve a reduction in carbon emissions of 19% (Table 1) and a water efficiency standard of not more than 110 litres per person per day maximum indoor water consumption.  

Table 1: Net New Build Housing Completions 2021/22: Proposed Sustainability Standards 

  

Completed new build dwellings  

Percentage of completed dwellings 

Reduction in carbon emissions of 19% 

530 

77% 

No standard 

159 

23% 

Total units 

689 

 100% 

Only developments applying for full planning are required to submit a Sustainability Checklist, as a consequence, the energy performance of other applications such as prior approvals is not recorded.  

There were 562 new residential units permitted in 2021/22, of which 48 units were new build, with 74% indicating to achieve a reduction in carbon emissions of 19%.  

Policy CP8 also requires that all development proposals will be expected to demonstrate how the development will facilitate on-site low or zero carbon (LZC) technologies. Applicants are asked to indicate via the Sustainability Checklist whether LZC technologies will be introduced into the development. Of the new build residential applications approved in 2021/22; 39% percent had indicated in their sustainability checklist that they would install LZC technologies.  

The following indicators further demonstrate planning policy performance in terms of sustainability. These indicators are also reported in the Appendices, with reference to the relevant planning policy. 

Sustainable buildings 

Sustainability indicators include:

  • 14% of new build residential applications approved with Sustainability checklist and completed in 2021/22 incorporated green walls and roofs

  • 1.17 tonnes of greenhouse gases were emitted per capita from domestic buildings for energy provision in 2020; a reduction on 1.19 tonnes in 2019

Sustainable transport 

Sustainability indicators include:

  • 44% of new build residential and PDSA development, approved through a full planning application, and completed 2021/22 provided cycle parking creating 1,420 spaces
  • 12% of new build residential development, approved through a full planning application, and completed 2021/22 included car free units; totaling 255 car free units
  • an estimated 267.6 kilotonnes of transport-related greenhouse gases was emitted in 2020 across the whole city; a reduction on 329 kilotonnes in 2019  

Biodiversity and open space 

Sustainability indicators include:

  • £0 was secured through developer contributions towards the enhancement of open space or leisure in 2021/22
  • 38% of local sites2 (sites designated locally for their substantive nature conservation importance, either for wildlife or geology) were in positive conservation management in 2021/22. No data for 2019/20 or 2020/21 due to restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic

Air quality 

  • The average level of nitrogen dioxide showed an improvement at all three key recording sites in the city between 2019 and 2021: 

 

Target 

2019 

2020 

2021 

 

Lewes Road, Brighton 

40 μg/m 

26.9 μg/m 

18.9 μg/m 

18.3 μg/m 

Positive trends and targets met 

London Road, Brighton 

40 μg/m 

39.5 μg/m 

30.6 μg/m 

28.3 μg/m 

Positive trends and targets met 

High Street, Rottingdean  

40 μg/m 

32.7 μg/m 

28.4 μg/m 

26.6 μg/m 

Positive trends and targets met 

Flooding and climate change impacts 

Sustainability indicators include:

  • 30% of new build residential development approved through a full planning application indicated that Sustainable Urban Drainage systems would be incorporated into the development 

3. Waste and minerals

Brighton & Hove City Council is a Waste and Minerals Planning Authority and works in partnership with East Sussex County Council and the South Downs National Park Authority on waste and minerals planning policy.

The three authorities adopted the:

A review of the Waste and Minerals Plan is currently at the public examination stage, with a focus on the supply of minerals. 

Waste 

There are 4 main types of waste. 

Local Authority Collected Waste (LACW)

Household waste comprises approximately 95% of local authority collected waste, the remainder coming from sources such as street sweepings and public parks and gardens. 

Commercial and Industrial Waste (C&I)

This is produced from shops, food outlets, businesses, and manufacturing activities and comprises about 27% of waste in the Plan Area as a whole. 

Construction, Demolition and Excavation Waste (CDEW)

Produced from building activity, with a considerable proportion of it is considered to be inert. CDEW comprises an estimated 51% of all waste arisings. 

Other wastes

This includes hazardous waste, liquid waste (other than wastewater), and wastes arising from the agricultural sector. 

The City Council monitors the quantity of local authority collected waste (LACW) but it does not directly monitor the quantity of commercial and industrial waste or construction, demolition and excavation waste arisings.

The best estimate for C&I waste arisings for East Sussex and Brighton & Hove in 2018 was 516,420 tonnes, the best estimate for annual arisings of CDEW remains 906,000 tonnes. Further detail can be found in the East Sussex Waste and Minerals AMR

Table 3: Local Authority Collected Waste in Brighton & Hove by management type 

ESCC 2020 

  

2015/16 

2016/17 

2017/18 

2018/19 

2019/20 

2020/21 

2021/22 

Reuse 

2,693 

3,119 

3,164 

3,469 

3,546 

2,754 

3,218 

Composted 

3,177 

4,169 

3,083 

5,684 

5,534 

4,774 

5,977 

Recycled 

21,947 

22,869 

24,219 

21,555 

21,359 

22,710 

21,452 

Disposal to Land 

4,469 

5,234 

5,824 

4,273 

2,688 

1,707 

571 

Energy Recovery 

76,315 

74,749 

75,130 

76,198 

75,767 

78,080 

78,279 

Key figures for Local Authority Collected Waste in Brighton and Hove are: 

  •  109,497 tonnes of household LACW were produced in Brighton & Hove in 2019/20, a reduction on the 111,179 tonnes in the previous monitoring year

  • the majority of waste (71%) in 2021/22 was sent for energy recovery, a slight increase on the previous two monitoring years

  • the amount of landfilled waste continues to reduce and represented only 0.52% of all LACW which is in contrast to 59 % sent to landfill in 2007/08

  • 28% was recycled, composted or reused, a similar proportion to recent monitoring years 

Minerals 

Brighton & Hove does not have any active mineral extraction sites and the level of production in East Sussex is very low by regional standards. Actual production figures are bound by confidentiality constraints, caused by particular commercial sensitivities due to the small number of operators in place.

National policy is to increase the use of secondary and recycled aggregates as an alternative to reducing reserves of primary aggregates and this is reflected in Waste and Minerals Plan Policy WMP3. Background work undertaken indicates that capacity in the plan area for secondary and recycled aggregates is currently around 310,000 tonnes per annum.

Current secondary/recycled aggregates facilities in the plan area and further explanation and detailed figures for East Sussex and Brighton & Hove can be found in the East Sussex Waste and Minerals AMR

It is a requirement of the NPPF to produce an annual Local Aggregate Assessment (LAA) to assess the demand for and supply of aggregates in their area. The latest Local Aggregate Assessment was produced jointly with East Sussex County Council and the South Downs National Park Authority and published in May 2022.