Housing plans for Meadow Vale rejected after residents protest

Plans to build 85 homes on a greenfield site have been thrown out by councillors.

They were advised to reject a planning application to put 85 homes on Meadow Vale, in Ovingdean.

Protesters were delighted by their decision to reject building on the nine-acre site, which is bounded by Ovingdean Road, Falmer Road, and The Vale.

Lightwood Strategic, the property developers, had asked Brighton and Hove City Council for outline planning permission for an estate of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes.

There were, however, concerns about air quality, the ecology of the site - currently a paddock - and the scale of the estate and the impact that it would have on the nearby South Downs National Park.

Simon Kirby, the Conservative MP for Brighton Kemptown, and Nancy Platts, who will run against him for Labour in May, joined protesters outside Hove Town Hall before the planning committee met.

Mr Kirby said that he was delighted with the decision, having worked for a long time alongside the Save Our Deans group to fight the planning application.

He said that the land helped the Ovingdean, Rottingdean and Woodingdean villages to maintain their individual identities and characters.

Mr Kirby said: 'I am obviously delighted that the application has been refused. This is a positive step forward for local people.

'I also pay tribute to the work of the Save Our Deans group which has worked so hard against this proposal. Local people have also made their voice heard loud and clear on this matter. It remains my firm belief that the city council should be looking at brownfield sites and city centre sites where the existing infrastructure is in place to support development to deliver new housing in the city.'

Ms Platts said: ' This is a victory for the local community and the people who have campaigned so hard to protect their area from over development. I have always opposed these proposals, which would have placed a huge strain on already overcrowded roads and put extra pressure on schools and bus services.

'We now need an urgent review of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to stop every green space being targeted by developers."