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University to seek planning permission for a temporary car park
Posted on behalf of: Better Campus
Last updated: Thursday, 5 December 2024
Photo by Azhar Choudhury
The University is seeking planning permission from Brighton & Hove City Council to create a new temporary car park on campus.
The proposed car park is to accommodate West Slope construction worker commuting vehicles.
Why do we need a new car park?
From August 2025, there will be approximately 450 construction employees on the West Slope development each day. Although car sharing and public transport use will be encouraged, demand for car parking on campus will increase beyond our current capacity. The University has considered three options:
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Off-campus parking facilities: This involves hiring an off-campus car park and transporting construction employees to site. Whilst this reduces the risk of breaching campus car parking capacity, it is cost prohibitive at c. £4million.
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Existing campus car parks: Construction employee vehicles can be accommodated on campus for the first year of construction, however, the number of workers on site increases incrementally and by August 2025, demand will outstrip capacity. Using existing car parks would risk congestion to local car parks and University staff, students and visitors being unable to find a space.
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New temporary campus car park: Creating a new temporary car park on campus to accommodate construction employee commuting vehicles is a low cost alternative and ensures that campus car parking capacity is maintained for University staff, students and visitors.
Boundary Field Car Park
Our planning application proposes the use of Boundary Field (Russell's Clump), close to the ACCA, offering the following benefits:
- Walking distance to West Slope construction site
- Low cost implementation compared to alternatives
- Access via University Way within the University’s ANPR boundary
- Low impact on campus and local traffic
- Local access to Stanmer Park can be maintained
The car park will have spaces for 209 cars. An interlocking cellular paving grid system filled with gravel will form the base of the car park, and it will be fenced with post and rail, with an access gate to University Way. Down lighters with timers will light the car park, minimising light pollution.
A planning application will be submitted by January 2025 with a request to have the car park operational by August 2025.
Preserving and enhancing
Recognising the location of the temporary car park within the South Downs National Park and Stanmer Registered Park and Garden and the Stanmer Conservation Area, specialist consultants have been engaged to ensure a sustainable and ecologically responsible outcome.
Our planning application details our commitment to preserving and enhancing Boundary Field, including a restoration management plan to ensure betterment of the environment.
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about our planning application, please join us between 2pm and 4pm on Wednesday 11 December in the Library (near the café), where the West Slope team will be on hand to answer your questions and receive your feedback.
If you are unable to make this session, our proposals will be on display in the Library (near the café) from Tuesday 10 December to Monday 16 December and you can submit queries and comments to the West Slope team by emailing bettercampus@sussex.ac.uk.