Who are we? The Benfield Valley Project is a constituted community group made up of locals who are passionate about protecting the Benfield Valley from any development, now and in the future.  For the past five years, we have volunteered thousands of hours of our time to raise the profile of the space, hosting free, accessible events for the whole community in order to showcase the beauty of the valley and its unique qualities.  We believe that the valley should be returned to community ownership, as per the wishes of the original owner Sir Tim Sainsbury, to become - along with the barn - a space for community, education and well-being.  

Summary: On Wednesday 2nd April 2025, despite huge community opposition, Brighton & Hove City Council’s planning committee approved plans for the development of 101 dwellings on the site to the north of Hangleton Lane.  We believe that the committee has not followed due process and that that process through which the approval was given was based on bias and the deliberate omission of key information related to the site.  The designation is not in accordance with the allocation as stated in the City Plan Part 2.

What are we trying to achieve? We are more than aware of the need for housing in the city but the Benfield Valley is not, and has never been, a suitable space for this. Much of it is a designated local green space - a crucial and valuable feature in the largely built-up west of the city - meaning that policy exists that protects such a space from any development.  The Planning Officers and planning committee ignored this designation, choosing to ‘be flexible’ with their own golden rules and designation.  

What is the next step in the case? We want to hold the council to account for their promise to protect the valley from development and are now seeking legal advice as to whether we have a case to seek a judicial review.  The first stage of this is to instruct our solicitors to seek advice from a barrister on prospects of bringing a claim.  This will be a legal assessment of whether there are grounds to challenge the application through judicial review based on any legal issues in the officer’s report and the information submitted during the planning consultation.

This is where you come in.  In order to begin this process, we need to raise £3,500 in the first instance for the legal team’s fees, and we cannot do this alone. Please donate as much as you can and share this page widely.

We do not take on any of this lightly but we know that the valley is worth saving for generations to come. We are so grateful for your donation to help us keep pushing to save this precious space!

Thank you so much for your support,

The BVP Team, x