Toad’s Hole Valley earmarked for significant housing development

A significant housing development could take place at Toad’s Hole Valley – the Greenfield site to the north of Hove and east of Hangleton.

Brighton and Hove City Council has stated the ‘preferred housing’ scenario for the city is for the privately owned site to be allocated for a mixed use development that will include 750 new homes.

The statement has emerged in a report ahead of consultation on a new City Plan, which will be discussed at a council cabinet meeting next Thursday.

The report said: “Toad’s Hole Valley provides an opportunity to plan positively for more family sized and affordable housing, new open space provision, enhanced site of nature conservation importance and opportunities for links with the South Downs National Park.”

However, the plan for the Toad’s Hole Valley site, which was considered by Brighton and Hove Albion before they secured their new stadium in Falmer, has been mocked by the Labour lead spokesman on planning in the city as being the Green’s ‘most dangerous U-turn yet’.

Councillor Warren Morgan has quoted the current cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Pete West , from December 2009 when he promised the Greens would “remove the threat of housing development in the urban fringe”.

According to Cllr Morgan, Cllr West added the land should not be “available to meet our housing targets, even as a last resort”.

Toad’s Hole Valley, which is next to the A27, is overlooked by residents on King George VI Avenue and in Hangleton. The site is currently overgrown and has regularly been used illegally by motorbike and quad bike riders.

Cllr Warren Morgan said: “We are shocked that the Greens have decided to build on this open space on the edge of our Downland for development, especially when there are more suitable brown-field sites available.

“The Greens headline-chasing statements in opposition have truly come back to haunt them, and they have made their “last resort” their first port of call when doing the Tory government’s job of concreting over our fields and open spaces.”

Cllr Brian Fitch, whose Hangleton & Knoll ward includes the Toad’s Hole Valley site, has launched a campaign to save the area from development.

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Posted by Joseph Lewis on October 5, 2011. Filed under Featured,Hangleton,Hangleton & Knoll,Hove. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry