Fighting hyper development of Brighton Gasworks

Beccy East profile

Project by Beccy East

Total raised £6,858

raised so far

228

supporters

To afford the expertise that will help our community fight the unsafe & inappropriate hyper development of the Brighton Gasworks site.

 New stretch target

We're stretching our target to raise funds for the support of a Viability Consultant who can challenge claims about what the developers can, and cannot to afford to make happen on this site. 


AGHAST stands for ACTION on GASWORKS HOUSING AFFORDABILITY SAFETY and TRANSPARENCY. 

In Summer 2020, Berkeley Homes/St William started a poorly advertised consultation on their plans to redevelop the East Brighton gasworks site into 9 tower blocks of new luxury flats up to 15 storeys high for 700 owners. 

The site is currently more appropriately earmarked on the adopted Brighton City Plan Pt1 as offering scope for a mixed development of 85+ dwellings plus commercial and semi-industrial space. 

AGHAST was formed by concerned residents in the mixed community around the site who share grave concerns about St William’s plans.  Initially aiming simply to do the work St William hadn’t managed to, and inform the community about what was being proposed, we have since started to learn about the environmental and planning issues involved and understand the huge problems that the current plans pose.

We are fighting on 3 fronts:

  • The health of the community. The site is one of significant historic contamination and residents around similarly developed sites in London and elsewhere have experienced ill health, noxious smells and contaminated gardens.  We want to make the case for a high density low rise approach to the site that would not involve disturbing the contaminated soil beneath its current concrete seal.
  • Sustainability. Fighting for a reduction in height and massing so that the buildings function effectively within their environment, not overshadowing or creating destructive wind tunnels, working in line with the South Downs national park behind them and the Regency architecture around them and built to minimise environmental disruption through their design. 
  • Affordability. Fighting for homes here that can be bought or rented by local residents rather than as investments for overseas property developers.     

We have engaged with the local Council and with our MPs, who are supportive of our concerns. We are also working in partnership with a range of community organisations across the local areas and wider city.  But it has become clear that to effectively fight a plan of this scale we need to buy in experts who can provide the evidence needed to argue effectively against the big pockets of this multinational building conglomerate.       

Funds raised will commission an independent expert to fully analyse the environmental impact of St William's current plans and an environmental and a planning consultant to gather evidence on the risks of deep pile (high rise) building on the site and help us use this evidence effectively within a planning process that can be stacked against communities. Fundraising in Autumn 2020 helped us begin work with these experts and we now have full quotes for the task in hand to help us finish the job. 

The maths:

Remediation expert to produce a professional report on St Williams Environmental Scoping Repot of the site: £900 

Air pollution consultant to report on the emerging science of ground to air contamination when ‘remediating’ heavily contaminated land: £3500 

Air quality issue specialised solicitor to contribute to planning objection: £1000 

10 x hours planning objection support from Planning Consultants: £1000

Total:   £6400 (all quotes including VAT) 

Less £1665 raised after deductions to previous Crowdfunder = £4735 = ****OUR TARGET****   

St William now aim to submit their planning application this Spring – please help us fight it and get a more equitable, safe and forward looking deal for our community.  

Over the coming weeks we will update this page and our website with progress on our work and accounts of how the funds raised are being spent. 

We believe the health and wellbeing of our community is worth every penny. We need your help to do this by giving generously to our campaign and also asking others to do the same.

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