Superfused #1

HELP TO BUY

#1 | Winter 2014 Investing in the Greater Brighton City Region

A NEW WAY TO MOVE WITH JUST A 5% DEPOSIT It doesn’t matter whether you’re renting, living with family/friends or you’re at the stage where you’re looking to move up the property ladder or just need more space for you growing family – the Governmentbacked Help to Buy scheme could be the key. You require just a 5% deposit and it is available to both first time buyers and homeowners.

Investing in the Greater Brighton City Region

Cissbury Chase, Bolsover Road, Worthing BN13 1NS

Kingley Gate, Worthing Road (A259), Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 (Opposite Eldon Way, off the A259)

This stunning new development brings a superior collection of two, three and four bedroom properties to Worthing. Choose an apartment or family home at Cissbury Chase and you can enjoy bright and roomy living areas and generous outdoor spaces.

Kingley Gate is an exciting new development for north-west Littlehampton offering two, three and four bedroom houses.

This expansive new neighbourhood will bring 600 premium new homes, contemporary employment space, stunning landscaped grounds and comprehensive amenities.

3 bedroom homes from £249,995 barratthomes.co.uk/cissburychase

or call 01903 240 731

barratthomes.co.uk/kingleygate

or call 01903 252 672

Help to Buy

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER LOAN SECURED ON IT. Limited availability, selected plots only. Subject to status, terms and conditions apply. See www.barratthomes.co.uk for full details. BDW Trading Limited (number 03018173) whose registered office is at Barratt House, Cartwright Way, Forest Business Park, Bardon Hill, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 1UF (“BDW”) BDW is a subsidiary of Barratt Developments PLC. The Homes and Communities Agency (“HCA”) provides an equity loan for 20% of the purchase price of the property. The equity loan provided by the HCA is secured as second charge on your property. The amount you have to repay to the HCA may be more than the amount of the equity loan provided. Scheme is available in England only and on properties up to £600k.

Prices correct at time of going to press. Advertising images may include upgrades as home spec can vary, purchasers of Barratt homes spend on average £3,132 on upgrades.

#1 | Winter 2014

Marketing suites and show homes open daily 10am - 5.30pm

3 & 4 bedroom homes from £264,995

Coastal way: housing market Brighton belle: visitor economy

“A PHOENIX IS RISING FROM THE ASHES” 93% of readers say these magazines influence their opinion of places to invest *

medway making history

BOLD BARKING AND DAGENHAM

MEDWAY 1

Launching SOOn!

ISSUE 6 2014 medway making history

A NEW GENERATION OF REGENERATION

FanTaSTic

Long Harbour’s regeneration fund aims to invest alongside local authorities to build affordable homes and associated infrastructure.

Our first transaction was at William Street Quarter and Thames View East where 477 units are being delivered on time and on budget in partnership with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

We are immensely proud that this scheme has won the Partnership’s Bulletin Award for ‘Best Alternative Deal Structure’ and recognition from the Municipal Journal for ‘Innovation in Finance’

3 & 4 BEDROOM HOMES AT ST. MARY’S ISLAND FROM £250,000

dream operator

Barking and Dagenham

The Fishing Village at St. Mary’s Island brings together the best of Medway’s excellent road, rail and bus connections to Kent and beyond with new high specification fisherman-style cottages, to create a superb new way of contemporary living.

bringing visions to reality

Long Harbour manages funds with a focus on long dated, fixed income returns. In the residential sector we focus on the following:

Call 01634 891200 or visit www.thefishingvillage.co.uk

- A social infrastructure fund, committed to financing local authority-led housing initiatives;

LEAD

TOUR OF SUCCESSFUL REGENERATION PROJECTS WITH COUNCIL LEADER

- A Private Rented Sector fund, which has acquired over £50m of residential units during 2013;

SPEED

- A portfolio of nearly 60,000 UK residential freeholds, managed by HomeGround, a Long Harbour company.

BY AIR, RAIL, AND ROAD WAKEFIELD IS CONNECTED FOR BUSINESS

Moving image

SUCCEED

BUSINESS GROWTH IN RETAIL, MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS

Thinking space: investment in learning environments

PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIR COUNCILLOR PHÉLIM MAC CAFFERTY 2014

www.placespeoplelove.co.uk

ISSUE 3 2014

* Computer generated image is indicative only. Prices correct at time of going to print. February 2014.

Designer living The housing schemes winning plaudits Skilling up Medway’s bold plan to meet employers’ needs For more information, please contact Nicoll on: Made in Medway TIGER funding fuelling fierce growth Oliver +44 (0)207 723 8881 on@longharbour.co.uk Heavy hitters Medway’s big guns gather to map its future www.longharbour.co.uk

Creating places: Roding Riverside takes shape

Issue 3 2014 boldmagazine.co.uk

Winning ways: gongs still sounding for Barking town centre

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Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent

The Helix Project, Falkirk

Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge

- Ripe with potential

- 15 minutes to Heathrow

- Make sure you take the tour…

SMART COOKIES: INVEST IN EALING

At Renzo Piano’s The Place, the entire News Corp operation relocates to

LONDON

Great West

Investment destination: Hounslow

Chiswick Park, Chiswick

• • • •

• In the top ten locations for growth potential • Prime development site opportunities from East to West

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• Vibrant, entrepreneurial, diverse • Affordable homes, great schools and more open space than almost any other borough Interested in making the most of Hounslow?

For general enquiries about relocating to the borough, contact:

MILE HIGH GRUB: HEATHROW ECONOMY

• •

142 new homes including 28 affordable homes University library and academic building which will include London NEW COMMUNITY FOR UXBRIDGE a AATpublicly accessible exhibition West space ST ANDREW’S PARK The Dance Space, for local communities and global dance artists, attracting over 70,000 visitors per year 450 bed student accommodation which will free up family housing in the city The regeneration to provide much needed Grade A office Office building of Enfield Scaling new heights space for Go Ape!small in the great and medium sized companies outdoors / Shop front retail revivalsquare / Trading up New public including restaurants and shops housing hotspots Recordindependent player Workshop space for artists and local businesses ISSUE ONE SUMMER 2014

St. Modwen’s £150 million regeneration of the former RAF Uxbridge site is creating a sustainable new community.

ISSUE ONE SUMMER 2014

ROAD LESS TRAVELLED: COOL GLOBAL BRAND

Autumn 2014 Issue Five

Issue 2 2014

www.investhounslow.com

- Growing investor confidence

- 18 minutes to the City

Sellar’s dynamic business hub of global brands with a strong media flavour www.ealinginlondon.com

• London’s gateway from Heathrow

enquiries@investhounslow.com

- 5 new Crossrail stations

Circus Street will be a vibrant new quarter of the city, bringing Towers, sky economic and educational benefits to Brighton and cultural, & ambiTion Hove. The scheme will include: OPPORTUNITY ENFIELD / The regeneration of Enfield

Gillette Corner, Brentford

CAPITAL OF WEST LONDON

The regeneration magazine of the London Borough of Ealing/issue 05/spring ‘14

COMING TO TOWN!

14/08/2014 12:13

Great West Investment destination: Hounslow

Bedfont Lakes, Bedfont

Arch Angels Artisan producers at Bermondsey’s Spa Terminus and Maltby Street Market

issue 5 2014

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Towering Success Architectural gems – Southwark’s’s tall buildings transform London’s skyline

DESTINATION EALING

Issue 11 Spring 2014

Issue 11 Spring 2014

Our clients often tell us that without our teams’ technical excellence, planning expertise, our fastidious attention to detail and market leading project management their schemes would have never have happened. Go to www.peterbrett.com or to Twitter @peterbrettllp to find out how your next scheme could be #poweredbyPBA

Mammoth Task Certainty at last for development of Delancey’s Elephant & Castle retail centre

CREATIVE TALENT: BRIGHT BUSINESS

READING:UK The magazine for business in Reading

Paradise Circus, Birmingham

Adventures in Brewtopia The business of beer is booming, with microbreweries focusing on the perfect pint

southwark

The magazine for business in Reading…

Excellent connections, good growth, relocations and festival buzz

We’re proud to be making the UK’s most important development and infrastructure projects happen

The New Black The city moves south – with the first schemes completing, more projects start on Blackfriars Road

EALING IN LONDON

reading:uk issue four/ autumn 2014

southwark

Cornwall Marine Renewables Business Park

15/05/2014 10:52

Around 1,300 new homes will be delivered, alongside a primary school, 40-acre public park, office park, theatre and community facilities.

Autumn 2014 Issue Five

THE OLD VINYL FACTORY – CHART TOPPER IN HAYES

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*93.3% of respondents to an independent survey of magazine readers in 2009

“A PHOENIX IS RISING FROM THE ASHES” PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIR COUNCILLOR PHÉLIM MAC CAFFERTY

COMING TO TOWN! Circus Street will be a vibrant new quarter of the city, bringing cultural, economic and educational benefits to Brighton and Hove. The scheme will include: • • • • • • •

142 new homes including 28 affordable homes University library and academic building which will include a publicly accessible exhibition space The Dance Space, for local communities and global dance artists, attracting over 70,000 visitors per year 450 bed student accommodation which will free up family housing in the city Office building to provide much needed Grade A office space for small and medium sized companies New public square including restaurants and shops Workshop space for artists and local independent businesses

CIRCUSSTREETBRIGHTON.COM

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Delivering regeneration to seafront locations through high quality residential and mixed use developments

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For further information, visit www.roffeyhomes.com or contact Ben Cheal, Managing Director, on 01903 202133 or email info@roffeyhomes.com

1 Warnes | 2 The Eardley | 3 Vista Mare | 4&5 The Beach Residences

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Superfused Editorial director Siobhán Crozier Head of design Rachael Schofield Design Smallfury

Contents

Contributing editor Sarah Herbert Chief reporter James Wood Director of business development Paul Gussar Business development manager Shelley Cook Production assistant Chris Hazeldine Office manager Sue Mapara Subscriptions manager Simon Maxwell Managing director Toby Fox Printed by Bishops Printers Images Marks Barfield, Conran and Partners, Cathedral Group, RTPI, David Gray, South Downs NPA, Simon Dack, Brighton Marathon, The University of Brighton, BDP, Ricardo, ParkerSteel, Sussex University, Shoreham Port, Mayfield Market Towns, Patrick Quish, Joseph Gay Photography josephgay.com, MillerHare, West Quay Development Co Partnership, Centurion, Morgan Carn, Oleg Pulemjotov, Brilliant Noise, Brandwatch, Nixon McInnes, Hyde Homes, Roffey Homes, Victor Frankowski, Nick Henley, Aileen Beddison, Visit Brighton, myhotel Brighton, EPR Architects, Jim Stephenson Photography, Gatwick Airport, Mediatonic, Graphite Digital Published by

375 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY T: 020 7978 6840 W: 3foxinternational.com In partnership with Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership 8-11 Pavilion Buildings Brighton BN1 1EE T: 01273 735062 Inward investment information brightonforbusiness.co.uk Subscriptions and feedback superfusedmagazine.com

music centre: Brighton’s vibrancy in evidence at The Great E

6 News

Updates on regeneration around the region.

10 Quality of life

What are the factors attracting new residents to the area?

17 Economy of the city region We look at the main drivers in business and how the local economy is performing.

© 3Fox International Limited 2014. All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of 3Fox International Ltd is strictly forbidden. The greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information in this magazine at time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for omissions or errors. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of 3Fox International Ltd.

22 Superfused projects

Major projects under way and development opportunities.

33 Creative and digital The region’s creative agencies boost the economy.

38 Housing

We look at housing provision in the city and towns in the Greater Brighton City Region.

43 Visitor economy

What brings nine million visitors a year to Brighton?

48 Offices

A prime location for corporate headquarters and offices.

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News Heads turn for i360

Brighton City Airport takes off Brighton City Airport, formerly known as Albemarle Shoreham Airport, has invested in new technology to enable its planes to operate more effectively in reduced visibility conditions.

Managing director of Brighton City Airport, Jonathan Candelon, said: “We have implemented numerous positive changes to improve efficiency and safeguard the airport’s future. This upgrade will enhance airport safety.”

Office to homes conversion curbed

Building work has begun at Brighton seafront to build the i360 passenger pod, dubbed ‘the world’s first vertical cable car’, featured on the cover of Superfused.

The structure, to be located at the site of the former entrance to the West Pier, will be 18m in diameter and will have a capacity for up to 200 people to have access to a 360-degree view of the city.

At 138m above sea level, i360 will become the tallest visitor observation attraction in the UK outside of London.

Architects of the multi-award winning London Eye, Marks Barfield, designed the structure, while the engineering elements were put together by technical and construction specialist, Jacobs. Hollandia, the company which also built the London Eye structure, is the main contractor for the scheme, and will be responsible for the construction and erection of the steel tower.

The project also includes building a restaurant, shop, exhibition space and conference facilities.

Nardo Hoogendijk, managing director of Hollandia, said: “We are very proud to be involved in such a project, following our successful partnership on the London Eye. It’s exciting to be reunited with the same team again to create another inspiring visitor attraction.”

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Developers will now need planning permission to convert offices into homes in three areas of Brighton, after the Department for Communities and Local Government agreed to waive legislation that allows for development to go ahead without the need for consent from the local authority’s planning committee.

The government introduced the measures in May 2014, but Brighton & Hove City Council requested an “Article 4 Direction” to remove the permitted development rights in three locations.

These areas are around the station in central Brighton and extending down to the sea front, a block in the Edward Street Quarter including local landmark Amex House – the European headquarters of American Express, and City Park in Hove.

Secretary of state for communities and local government, Eric Pickles, approved the request by Brighton & Hove City Council in June 2014.

Councillor Phélim MacCafferty, chair of Brighton & Hove’s planning committee, said: “Our decision will help protect job creation in the future in Brighton and Hove.”

News Superfused

Consent for cinema site The former Astoria Cinema site in Brighton is to be transformed into apartments, offices, community space and a restaurant.

City planners have approved Conran and Partners’ revised design proposals (pictured below) for the Gloucester Place site, which include penthouse apartments on the top floor of the building, and 3,300sq m of office space.

The proposal is an update to plans originally approved in September 2011.

All apartments at the site will have roof terraces and balconies. Public art will also possibly be installed on the site.

Offices will have photovoltaic panels that will produce electricity, as well as solar shading to reduce overheating.

The development is designed to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’.

Lee Davies, director at Conran and Partners, said: “The new proposals provide a scheme of similar quality to the earlier approved plans, but now deliver enhanced levels of employment space and a residential element.

“The updated scheme will provide additional commercial floor space at the rear and six residential penthouse apartments to the top floor with sunny terraces that give stunning views across the city.

“The shortage of housing in Brighton is an ever popular topic. This permission brings much needed additional housing to the city centre, and a better balance to the mixed-use scheme.”

Carnival time at Circus Street Planning permission has been granted for a £100 million mixed-use regeneration scheme in Brighton.

Joint development partners Cathedral and McLaren Property will deliver the project in a public-private partnership with freeholders Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Brighton.

It will feature restaurants, shops, 142 homes, student accommodation, a library, 3,530sq m of office space and a dance space, run by South East Dance.

Building work is due to start in late 2015 and is scheduled for completion by mid-2017.

See page 24 for more information.

brighton ranks Highly for growth Brighton is placed fifth in a report ranking high growth locations in the UK. Grant Thornton’s high growth index determined the speed at which places are developing by analysing factors which include ‘businesses economic growth’, ‘business and employment’ and ‘population growth’ over the last eight years.

The London-Brighton corridor is identified as one of nine in the UK that are major drivers of economic growth.

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News Planning board scoops award

Churchill Square’s new facade

The Coastal West Sussex and Greater Brighton Strategic Planning Board has won the Royal Town Planning Institute award for innovative planning practice.

The organisation is made up from the planning authorities across the West Sussex coast (Arun, Adur, Worthing and Chichester), along with West Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove, Lewes District Council and the South Downs National Park.

Refurbishment work on the Western Road facade of the Churchill Square shopping centre development was completed in October.

The work includes new double height glass shop fronts being installed for BHS, Burtons and Dorothy Perkins.

In addition, fashion retailer Topshop and Topman opened a 2,043sq m store at the Western Road facade.

Retailers moving into the centre in 2014 have included Monsoon, Ed’s Easy Diner, Auntie Anne’s pretzel bakery, Danish retailer Tiger, stationery company Smiggle, Fentons Ice Cream, denim store G-Star Raw and lingerie brand, Boux Avenue.

Centre director, Tina Dallorzo, commented prior to the opening of the new facade that: “It is exciting to be welcoming a flagship Topshop and Topman store to the centre.”

Tourism hot spot Brighton has been named the eighth most popular tourist destination in the UK in an annual poll carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

The city was placed higher than any other seaside location in the country.

Brighton and Hove was also recently voted the ‘Best UK city for restaurants

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and bars’ by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller magazine.

Councillor Geoffrey Bowden, chair of the city’s economic development and culture committee, said: “This is yet another feather in our city’s cap. It is a great accolade to be recognised by the readers of such a prestigious magazine and is evidence of the variety and quality of our bars and restaurants.”

Award for Director – outstanding brightonian The executive director of the Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership (BHEP) was honoured as the ‘Outstanding Brightonian of the Year’ at the Brighton and Hove Business Awards.

Tony Mernagh had arrived on stage with the understanding that he was presenting a gong, but was instead interrupted by event organiser Caroline Brown from Midnight Communications, who presented him with the award.

Mernagh is also the managing director of Brighton & Hove Business Forum, and the chair of various bodies including the city’s Strategic Partnership.

Coast to Capital fund for Deteq The Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership Funding Escalator, a five million pound fund to help local businesses to grow and create jobs, has made its first loan to Brighton based Deteq Solutions. The company has developed a sensor system used to determine whether a parking space is occupied. It will benefit any organisation responsible for managing a car park, as well as drivers who can confirm when a space is available.

The FSE Group, which manages the Coast to Capital Funding Escalator on behalf of Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), has made an offer of £100,000 to Deteq.

News Superfused

We are an experienced property developer with a focus on delivering exciting mixed use and regeneration schemes.

If you have a development opportunity across Brighton and Hove and the surrounding areas, we want to hear from you.

Please email us at: brighton@bouyguesdev.com

www.bouyguesdev.com

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Tales of the unexpected Amid an 18th century fad for bathing in seawater, patients were encouraged to “take the cure� in the waves lapping the beach at Brighton. Medical advice has moved on but the region is still experienced by many as a tonic.

From its natural beauty to the enviable quality of life on offer, Brighton city itself prompts 33,000 people to make it home and still commute to London.

Lucy Purdy asks: what makes this area worth the schlep?

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Quality of life Superfused

F hidden gem: To the north of Brighton and Hove, the South Downs National Park includes the first UNESCO world biosphere site to be established in the UK in 40 years.

rom rolling hills to bustling market towns, the landscapes of the South Downs National Park cover 628 square miles of breathtaking views and hidden gems. A rich tapestry of wildlife, landscapes, tranquillity and visitor attractions, they weave together a story of people and place in harmony.

From the white cliffs of Seven Sisters to rolling farmland, ancient woodland and lowland heaths, bends in the road reveal picture perfect villages, traditional country pubs and flourishing vineyards. With London accessible within the hour by train, it is little wonder this region holds such a draw.

Trains to London Victoria can take just 50 minutes and London Bridge station is 56 minutes away. By road, the journey takes about 90, depending on traffic.

In a way that London arguably never quite manages, leisure time takes centre stage in this corner of the country.

The pebbly seafront at Brighton is the heart around which the local tourism industry unfolds. Brighton’s beachfront enjoys the pier as a backdrop, setting the scene for a range of joys, from traditional seaside family fun, to evening shore-side club culture, unfolding underneath the Victorian arches.

Shopping in the region is less a chore and more a delightful way to spend a day, from affordable art to

vintage goodies, with Shoreham and Worthing both having particularly unique offers. Shoppers in Brighton browse rails amid Regency and Victorian architecture, where big brand names sit along 18th century lanes in pleasing juxtaposition. And a huge diversity of cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars across Brighton and the rest of the region means shoppers can be sure of tasty respite. Some places even combine the two. Behind the lipsmackingly-decorated shop front of Choccywoccydoodah lies a team of artists, designers and chocolatiers who specialise in creating decadent wedding cakes, chocolate birthday cakes and other unique chocolate gifts. The business even has its own TV series.

On culture, Brighton also scores highly – all those Londoners aren’t just moving here for the beach. “An arts festival that makes connections with the real world,” is The Times’ view of the Brighton Festival, the annual, three-week series of events in music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film literature and debate – the biggest arts festival in England. Brighton and Hove’s Artists Open Houses programme runs during the festival in May and also in December. Artists and makers exhibit a variety of media, including jewellery, ceramics and textiles, paintings, sculpture, printmaking and photography. Visitors are able to buy directly from the artist.

Another twice-yearly event is the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival in April and September, which involves around 350 food, drink and hospitality businesses. Running throughout September is the Brighton Digital Festival, co-ordinated through Wired Sussex and the Lighthouse. The community-driven grassroots festival celebrates digital arts and culture and draws attendance in excess of 40,000.

The first Brighton Music Conference in 2014 was such a success that it has been confirmed to run in 2015 as well.

The Great Escape showcases new music in 35 venues around Brighton, while the Shakedown festival at Waterhall in July

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Pullquote, et aut veru mquae sincte il eatem faccabor xxxx andanis. xxxxxxxxx out in force: Almost 9,000 runners took part in the 2014 Brighton Marathon, raising nearly £82,000 for charitable causes.

The beauty of Brighton is that it is a compact city that creates intimacy and fun 2014 featured established acts such as Basement Jaxx and Groove Armada.

Pride Brighton + Hove is the country’s largest celebration for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. Now run by a community interest company, Pride Brighton + Hove organises an arts and film festival, parade, dog show and in 2014, raised £65,000 for the Rainbow Fund, which supports LGBT charities and services.

Beach and watersports are widely enjoyed in Brighton and the Sea Life centre in Marine Parade also makes use of the city’s Victorian heritage, offering a journey through the original architecture

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of the oldest operating aquarium in the world. From face-to-face encounters with sharks, to the chance to ride the UK’s first glass bottomed boat, the new rainforest adventure feature was also added this year to the centre’s roster of highlights: no shortage of material for days out here.

For those with energy to expend, Brighton Marathon might be of interest.

This has become a major focus of the year, with the city coming out in force to run, and support friends and charities.

Michael Butcher of Grounded Events Company, which runs the marathon, says around £6 million is pumped into

Quality of life Superfused the city over the course of marathon weekend, with “a lot of goodwill” to boot. “Brighton was already famous and now it is famous for staging the second best marathon in the UK after London. It takes about £1.5 million to organise so this is a great return on our investment.

“We get 2,000 volunteers and many come back year after year. It is really heartening to get such a positive response. From day one in 2010, the atmosphere took us aback. The beauty of Brighton is that it is a compact city that creates intimacy and fun.”

Sport is a focus for Brighton & Hove City Council too, with the authority keen to help residents stay fit and healthy.

There is currently significant interest in the King Alfred Leisure Centre on Hove seafront: a major project now in need of redevelopment. The building was ready to be unveiled to the public when war was declared in September 1939, but it was immediately turned over to the Royal Navy, commissioned as HMS King Alfred, hence its name.

The Greater Brighton City Region is also replete with historical interest, a fact which inspired the establishment of The Keep, a world-class archive centre in Woollards Way, Brighton. County archivist Elizabeth Hughes describes it as a storehouse of treasures, bringing together the archives that tell the

history of East Sussex and Brighton and Hove from 1100 to the present day, together with the special collections of the University of Sussex. They are made available to the public in this £9 million, state-of-the art community resource: a triumph of design and purpose alike.

“Without archives there are so many things we couldn’t do – prove our baptism, school attendance, find out the routes of drainage systems or hold organisations to account for past decisions,” explains Hughes.

“Without them we would be like a person who has lost their memory trying to cope with the world. But archives are fun too – for family and local history, for example – and help bring the past alive for people of all ages.”

And the importance of learning is carried through to educational facilities and libraries alike. Plans have been approved for the redevelopment of City College Brighton and Hove’s Pelham Street campus. Principal Lynn Thackway believes it will be a boost to the 10,000 students who come to the college to develop skills on one of 700 courses.

“Our new buildings will have a huge impact on what our students can achieve and aspire to,” she says. “This project will play a key part in the city’s regeneration and create a scheme of which we and the city can be proud.”

This project will contribute to the regeneration of the London Road area and the city as a whole by providing £79 million of inward investment and up to 141 construction jobs, as well as local spend of more than £1 million.

The area’s libraries are also the subjects of huge investment – a rebuilding and refurbishing programme, at a time when many other local authorities are scaling back services.

A plan considered by the Economic Development and Culture Committee cited priorities set out by the Arts Council including placing the library as the hub of the community and making the most of digital technology and creative media.

Because digital is another of Brighton’s strengths, the region has been undergoing its own digi-revolution in recent years. Phil Jones is managing director of Wired Sussex, a company working with digital media companies of all sizes to help them grow.

He told Superfused how firmly the region has placed itself on the digital map: “As the scale and impact of Brighton’s digital cluster has grown, the way that venture capitalists [VCs] and angel investors relate to it has changed.

In the past, companies had to go to the VCs in London if they wanted to try and attract their funding. Now, they come

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to Brighton. We organise events with investors to help them meet local digital businesses looking for investment.

“The growth of the cluster has created a more significant set of angel investors, usually looking to invest smaller amounts than VCs. Many of these investors are local entrepreneurs like Arjo Ghosh, Anthony Nelson and

The growth of the cluster has created a more significant set of angel investors

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Steve Penfold who have built and sold their tech businesses and are now looking to support others as they grow.

So, this is about the cluster creating its own investor network as it matures.”

Superb conference facilities help too. Brighton is unlikely to be sniffed at by people visiting for work reasons.

Business and pleasure lie as close bedfellows this near to the coast.

Brighton is attracting national – even international – attention in other ways too. The Brighton Waste House (left) has been drawing headlines around the world since construction began in May 2013. Now it is complete: a ‘living laboratory’ for ecological architectural design, for which over 85% of materials came from household waste or construction site discards, and which is thought to be Europe’s first permanent public building made from waste.

Brighton and Lewes Downs recently became the first UNESCO world biosphere site to be established in the UK in 40 years, one of only a handful to include a city. Chair of the Brighton and Lewes Downs Biosphere partnership, Chris Todd, says: “Now we have this accolade, we aim to build on the partnership to do even greater things. We need to build nature into the equation while raising awareness of how the natural environment contributes to our wealth and wellbeing.”

The decision is set to strengthen the economy by making the area a more attractive place in which to live, create job opportunities through a healthier urban environment and therefore, encourage more tourists to spend more time here and in the surrounding area.

This world-class accolade seems to sum up Brighton’s burgeoning reputation as a fantastic place to live and work. This is one built on dual foundations: on the area’s beautiful local landscape and its human capital too, in the form of technology and innovation.

As we steer into a future where people are increasingly prioritising quality of life as well as quality work, what could be better? Brighton is right-on: hitting the mark at every stride. ●

Quality of life Superfused

New Times, New Challenges, New Solutions from The Hyde Group.

The partner of choice for landowners, investors, developers and local authorities in the Greater Brighton Area.

With over 250 homes currently under construction and agreements and finance in place for a further 700 new homes over the next 18 months, Hyde is the leading residential developer in the Greater Brighton area. Our projects include: · Major City Centre Regeneration Schemes like the Brighton Open Market and Super B New England Quarter. · High quality family housing schemes · High quality premium apartment schemes like One Hove Park · Joint ventures with land owners, developers, investors and local authorities · Private sale, Private Rent, mixed tenure and affordable housing schemes · Schemes across the Greater Brighton area including high profile projects in Brighton, Hove, Lewes and Shoreham.

The Hyde Group is the Development Partner of Choice for both public and private landowners and is also a leading provider of development and sales and marketing services to local authorities.

We require further land for development and are happy to consider both conditional and unconditional purchases as well as joint ventures with a variety of partners.

Please contact Tom Shaw, Development Director (South) (07918 057741) or Rhys Daniel, Head of Land & Planning (07918 057500) for more information or to discuss any opportunity.

www.hyde-housing.co.uk facebook.com/hydegroup twitter.com/hydehousing

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Planning

2011-2014

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SUPPORTING THE FUTURE OF THE GREATER BRIGHTON CITY REGION

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Economy Superfused Talent Pool: University of Brighton’s Checkland building, at the Falmer campus.

Bright prospect Brighton, Hove and the surrounding towns make up a thriving economic area with a strong pool of talent coming out of the two universities based here. Mark Smulian finds out what makes it work

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ir Harry Ricardo loved sailing – a passion he indulged when he opened his automotive engineering company at Shoreham-bySea in 1919.

Almost a century later the amenities and environment of the Greater Brighton City Region still attract businesses and their workforces to the area, and retain for the long-term, established firms such as Ricardo.

The city region covers the local

authority areas of Brighton & Hove, Adur, Lewes, Mid Sussex and Worthing.

With the bulk of the area falling between the South Downs and the sea, it benefits from a pleasant environment – and the attractions Brighton and Hove enjoys in being one of few large cities founded originally on tourism.

Added to this, the area benefits from being close to London, and even closer to Gatwick airport.

A steady stream of graduates from Brighton and Sussex universities

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Driving Growth: The £420 million redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital. Advanced engineering company Ricardo, employs some 600 people. Parker Steel’s processing plant at Shoreham Port. Sussex University at Falmer.

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maintain the local economy, as many of them choose to remain in the area.

But the region’s geography also constrains it between the sea and the South Downs, a protected national park.

Expansion must therefore be east or west along the coast, and improving communications is a priority for all involved in the city region.

Nick Hibberd, Brighton & Hove City Council’s head of city regeneration explains how the region hopes to exploit its advantages to drive growth, while also overcoming the constraints.

“Our success is partly down to our proximity to London and being part of a high growth corridor,” he says.

“But high numbers of businesses set up here and jobs growth is driven by the quality of the place, it’s the life and environment – we’re the first city region to be designated a UNESCO biosphere in 40 years. There is a great leisure, creative and cultural offer here.”

The University of Brighton and the

University of Sussex contribute to the area having the fourth highest-qualified workforce in the UK. “The visitor economy is very important with nine million people a year coming here, and there is a strong tradition of hospitality across the city region,” Hibberd notes.

“What holds us back is that we are constrained by the Downs and the sea, which means transport infrastructure is a challenge and there is not enough space for affordable housing.

“The city region and the local enterprise partnership are working together to address these issues.”

Opportunities for expansion exist at Newhaven to the east and Shoreham to the west, once new flood defences are constructed. This is part of the City Deal with the government.

Ciaran Gunne-Jones is economics director at consultants Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners, which has advised a number of the city region’s local

Economy Superfused

authorities. He believes joint working and investment are critical to support future growth in the region.

“This is a successful area that appeals to both established and new industries that contribute to a diverse and fast-growing local economy. Effective planning to give businesses the wider infrastructure and space they need is important,” says Gunne-Jones.

Among newer industries, digital is well-established, but there are other sectors that are growing or expected to grow in the near future.

Hibberd cites advanced engineering in Worthing and Shoreham, as well as the environmental technologies at Newhaven. Here a college for clean technology and environmental engineering is being built.

Tony Mernagh, executive director of the Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership, draws particular attention to the health and life sciences sector.

“This is yet to prove itself but there is the £420 million new Royal Sussex County Hospital redevelopment, which will be a regional trauma centre for the south-east and that is expected to have spin-offs,” he says.

“There is interest from the private sector in establishing treatment centres, which is very fledgling but offers something interesting.

This is a successful area that appeals to both established and new industries “We also have a major medical school, a joint venture between Sussex and Brighton universities, which is one of the most popular in the country among students and we hope for a clustering effect in life sciences; it may be a great opportunity.”

Advanced engineering is another growth sector. Ricardo is still in Shoreham, employing some 600 people, because “the founder liked the area and sailing his boat”, as senior manager Andrew Swayne puts it.

Swayne, who is also chair of the Adur and Worthing Business Partnership, says: “It’s a good place to be. Greater Brighton is attractive to the sort of people we need to recruit. There is a buzz about the whole place that is attractive to young people.”

Shoreham has also been an important port for more than 250 years, with more than 1,600 people employed by businesses within the port.

Under its 20-year masterplan, the port’s Eastern Arm will be the main

focus for commercial shipping, with new terminals and warehouses. Meanwhile, the Western Arm will be redeveloped for mixed uses, including new homes and business space, says development director Peter Davies.

“The port has real potential to grow,” says Davies. “To achieve this, the emphasis will be on making best use of land through the relocation of non-port related businesses, more efficient use of terminals and reclamation from the water to create additional space.”

Major building schemes completed since 2010 include a processing plant for Parker Steel, and a specialist grain warehouse. A combined heat and power plant has gained planning consent and construction is expected to start in 2015.

“Greater Brighton is a good place to do business. Not that we have the option to move somewhere else if it wasn’t!” Davies says. “Not surprisingly, transport is high up on our list of issues to be addressed, with 1,000 HGVs on

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Economic hub: Businesses located at Shoreham Port employ more than 1,600 people.

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and off the port each day.

“There is also the issue of competing needs for scarce land. We have to get the balance right so that we maintain a healthy and successful port. However, we have to meet the need for housing in the local area at the same time.”

Dr David Cooper, reader in management and economic development at the nearby University of Chichester, is optimistic about the area’s economic potential. “A lot of what drives the Brighton city region comes from education; from having two universities there,” he says.

“Education is going through a growth spurt and the economy benefits from graduates staying on to do stuff here.

They do that because Brighton is a very

attractive place to live. It’s these exstudents that are driving the economy.”

Other local companies that benefit from the knowledge base include Bowers & Wilkins, which manufactures hi-tech B&W loudspeakers, and Rayner Opthalmic, which makes lenses and holds a Queen’s Award for Industry.

The city region generally, “is increasingly becoming a knowledgebased economy with examples such as Ricardo in advanced engineering; there is a lot going on”, he says.

Tourism remains a mainstay, and has held up well during the recession.

Cooper says: “Tourism is very important and with the recession ending, we are seeing more of that. I don’t think it will be damaged by people who have holidayed at home going abroad again as the economy recovers. That assumption presupposes that the Brighton tourist economy is local, and it isn’t. Overseas tourists taking a break in the UK will often come to the area.”

Bouygues Development is among the major companies seeking opportunities in the city region. Tom Jelley, head of region south east UK at Bouygues Development, says: “Brighton has qualities that put it high on the list for investors and developers.”

Its advantages include the young, educated workforce and its good connections. This includes its proximity to Gatwick airport as well as to London.

Jelley says: “From an investment perspective, the driver is the stability of the local economy and potential growth, or preferably, secured growth.

“From a development perspective, we are looking for the opportunity to enhance cities, to regenerate them and to make a difference to the experience of a region.”

This though, has to be done in a way “that supports and complements the communities we are serving”, he says.

Greater Brighton City Region offers an unusual combination of seaside, countryside and culture while also being a good place to do business and with a well-qualified workforce and good connectivity, investors are taking note. ●

Economy Superfused

Mayfield Market Towns New Church Road, Hove, an Affinity Sutton development

Mayfield Market Towns has set out to make an ambitious and visionary contribution to solving the housing crisis and boosting the regional economy by developing a New Market Town of 10,000 homes across the districts of Mid Sussex and Horsham.

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Mayfields offers a unique opportunity to create a thriving and sustainable new community that will have a tremendously positive impact on the regional economy, supporting the next generation of homes and jobs and helping the local business community to realise the promise of prosperity for many years to come.

Lee Newlyn, Director at Mayfield Market Towns

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10,000 high quality new homes Sustainable and eco-friendly living through SMART technologies

Facilitating new employment opportunities with a new business/science park Providing new affordable homes for local young people and families New sport, leisure and health facilities A full range of education facilities, including primary schools a new Academy

Mayfield Market Towns has partnered with Affinity Sutton, one of the country’s top housing associations with 57,000 homes across the country, to deliver the affordable housing for a New Market Town in Sussex.

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Creation of up to 10,000 jobs

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Example of an Affinity Sutton development (The Arthouse, Portland Road)

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Regeneration Zone 5 Brighton Marina 6 Brighton Square 7 Shoreham Port 8 Teville Gate 9 i360 For the most up-to-date information on development projects, visit: brightonforbusiness.co.uk

Brighton City 23

Projects in focus Circus Street Cathedral Group’s proposed ‘Innovation Quarter’ in Circus Street will create ‘a vibrant new quarter’ of the city, with two landmark buildings, creative workspaces, private and affordable homes, office space, restaurants and cafes, and student accommodation.

One building will contain Dance Space, a new home for South East Dance which connects world-class artists to the local community, and the other a University of Brighton library and teaching building.

The £100 million public-private partnership regeneration scheme includes an estimated investment of over £200 million into Brighton and Hove over the next 10 years, and the creation of more than 600 jobs, 142 sustainable homes, managed accommodation for up to 486 students, and a modern office building including over 3,000sq m of office space to help creative and digital businesses.

Green spaces will include a public square for creative and leisure activities.

Energy-efficient buildings will use renewable technologies, a zero-waste policy will eliminate anything sent to landfill, while the need to travel is minimised – and tenants will get a free bike.

All materials used will be sustainable and locally sourced.

The scheme is a partnership between Cathedral Group, McLaren Property, Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Brighton, with Shedkm as the architect.

In November 2013, Cathedral Group opened up the old municipal market on the site, using it to host events, which have included an installation by Anish Kapoor.

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Projects Superfused

Mayfields

Preston Barracks Cathedral Group is planning another huge scheme, on the 4.4-ha Preston Barracks site in Lewes Road. In partnership with the University of Brighton, the £150 million scheme will extend the campus with 350 homes, 500 student bedrooms, a business startup support facility and a health centre.

A wider masterplan including surrounding land already owned by the university will deliver employment space, academic buildings, 800 student bedrooms and 2,250sq m of retail space.

Although the scheme does not yet have planning permission, a programme of events is planned for the site over the next few years, following the government’s announcement in July that it will inject £7.7 million into the Barracks development as part of a £17.4 million investment in University of Brighton research and buildings.

Regeneration of this 220-year-old site, which has been derelict for 20 years, will create a new gateway to the city from the north, and further establish the university at the centre of the city’s economic life.

Proposals are being brought forward to develop Mayfields, a new market town on land between Sayers Common and Henfield.

If the scheme were to be granted planning permission, work could begin on site in 2017/18.

Although additional housing would help to alleviate the chronic shortage, inevitably, such a large scheme is not universally welcomed.

The proposals include up to 10,000 new homes, addressing the housing needs of both the Horsham and MidSussex district, as well as Crawley and Brighton and Hove. It would also relieve pressure on villages, while delivering the infrastructure and community benefits of a large development.

Housing for a range of tenures could include first-time buyers, tenants of social landlords, key workers and shared equity purchasers.

Affordable homes, comprising 30% of the development, would be delivered

by Affinity Sutton.

The market town would also provide facilities such as a new academy, at least three primary schools and shops, as well as other community facilities.

It is envisaged that the town will emphasise sport via an outstanding provision of playing fields, pools, indoor sports halls, tennis courts, riding stables, cycle and running tracks.

It will also focus on fresh local food, with a food co-ordinator to help a wide range of restaurants source meat, vegetables, fruit and fish from within Sussex, a market for local produce, and land set aside for market gardening.

The design will optimise existing natural features and create a mature green landscape.

The masterplan proposed one of three types of settlement options – compact, split compact, or separate villages.

Developer Mayfield Market Towns is now consulting on the best layout, taking account of education, health and other social needs.

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London Road Regeneration Zone London Road, a busy high street area on the edge of the centre of Brighton, was once a thriving shopping destination but has been in state of gradual decline since the mid-1980s.

It is now the focus of a number of strategies and projects – as well as organised groups. These are all aimed at improving the area’s environment and turning around its economic fortunes.

The vision for the overall masterplan improves the environment and public realm, with new spaces for informal recreation, as well as high-quality, mixed-use developments with active frontages at ground level, and a more permeable street network.

Many projects are already under way or completed.

The arrival of 1,300 students in the immediate vicinity over the next four years will also help to revitalise this formerly busy area.

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Open Market Replacement of the former market with a new covered market, workshops and housing – key to improving the economic performance of London Road – opened in July with a mini festival.

The new covered market includes a double-height central square, surrounded by 45 permanent market stalls offering a diverse range of goods; 12 small workshops on the first floor for arts and crafts people and producer/retailers; and 87 affordable housing units.

Projects Superfused

Ann Street

The Level The restoration and improvement of this historic park, east of London Road, was completed during 2013 and now provides a thriving city centre open space, which holds a Green Flag award.

New facilities include petanque and bowls areas, toilets and a cafe. The new, free skatepark was nominated by UK number one female skateboarder, Lucy Adams, as one of her top five skateparks in England. Adams told The Guardian that The Level “is very well designed, has a nice flow and is a good size”.

The playground in the southern part has been completely upgraded, and the whole park has been re-landscaped. Two restored pavilions offer community spaces for hire.

Plans are being developed to rationalise the transport arrangements and improve the public spaces in Valley Gardens – the green spaces running from The Level down to the Old Steine and the seafront.

Transformation of the previously neglected area around Ann Street, Providence Place and Elder Place, which started in summer 2014, will create a pedestrian-friendly ‘oasis’ on the edge of London Road, with Providence Place Gardens (a park opposite St Bartholomew’s church) turned into a lively public space.

Also under way is site J, in the New England Quarter, north-east of Brighton Station. This is a mixed-use development of housing, a pedestrian plaza, shops, a hotel and office block.

It will complete a pedestrian route linking the rear entrance to the station with London Road, The Level and beyond.

Construction is also well under way on the redevelopment of the former Co-op store into 351 units of student accommodation, while preserving the 1930s facade.

Meanwhile, on Pelham Street, a £73 million redevelopment of City College will create an eight-storey building with more than 12,000sq m of teaching space, a 10-storey tower of 442 student accommodation rooms and up to 125 homes, along with new public open space. Planning permission was granted in December 2013 and the scheme is due to start soon.

At New England House, as part of the INTERREG ReCreate project to support the arts and creative industries, £650,000 was allocated to Brighton and Hove to transform a 315sq m space into the ‘Fusebox’, a creative innovation hub aimed at the development of new business ideas between the arts and creative industry entrepreneurs. The hub opened in April 2014.

Other initiatives include the investment of £600,000 in public realm improvements, and the creation of a forum for local businesses, residents and organisations – the London Road Local Action Team. The area’s selection as one of the Portas Pilots means that it will receive £83,485 to rejuvenate the retail area.

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Brighton Marina, Outer Harbour This seaside landmark was built between 1971 and 1979, with further developments ever since, and now covers about 50 ha.

Redevelopment is now under way, with Brunswick Developments starting phase one of a scheme of 190 two and three-bedroom apartments, all with sea views. The project is planned to take just over two years to complete and homes will be ready for the first residents to occupy in early 2016.

The masterplan for the scheme includes 853 flats and almost 2,000sq m of shops and leisure space in the south-west corner of the outer harbour.

The focal point of the development – with a design inspired by the chalk cliffs, sea and sky – will be a 40-storey tower, providing panoramic views of the bay and seafront from its top-floor viewing gallery.

sion 060228A Brighton Marina [2006] | Marina, The Boardwalk - Proposed, Standard [M1]

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Brighton Marina, Inner Harbour Land Securities is the majority landowner of this strategically important site. The company is working in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council on plans for a scheme that could eventually comprise leisure and housing, if given consent.

Proposals for the leisure facilities include a multi-screen cinema, bowling alley, casino, health and fitness club, hotel, retail and food outlets.

Projects Superfused

Brighton Square The first big development of The Lanes area since the 1960s, updating Brighton Square, is expected to be on-site by the end of 2014.

The £15 million mixed-use scheme is in two parts. RBS GRG will replace the part-derelict service yard of the Hannington’s department store, which closed in 2000, with 14 retail and restaurant units beneath seven new apartments and two floors of offices on a newly created lane.

On Brighton Square, Centurion Group will create a 26-room boutique hotel, and is in negotiation with Brighton & Hove City Council over planning permission for eight more flats, two more restaurants, and an additional building with a ground-floor shop with offices above.

The square will be renovated, with refurbished shop fronts and new planting, including four silver birch trees. A long-hidden 17th century building, Puget’s Cottage, will be visible for the first time in decades and preserved.

Regeneration of the area is in partnership with neighbouring landowner RBS, working with architect Morgan Carn, and heavily involved local stakeholders.

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Shoreham Port With its seafront location and active port, Shoreham Harbour has great potential. A masterplan is being created to enable the development of high quality, mixed-use schemes and sustainable communities.

The long-term objectives for the area are to reduce deprivation and inequality among the local community.

Regeneration of the harbour area would provide homes, jobs, facilities and services, improving existing areas and creating new developments which link closely with communities in Shorehamby-Sea, Southwick, Fishersgate as well as Portslade.

Measures for a harbour-wide joint area action plan (JAAP) include proposals for improving the waterfront for the leisure, tourism and heritage industries. They also include plans for each of the harbour’s seven character areas, with designated sites for residential or employment use, as well as improved connections, streetscape and landscaping.

Other priorities include protecting and enhancing the port as an industrial hub, and a regionally important site for processing waste and minerals.

A landscape plan for the harbour area will improve the way people can get to the waterfront. It will also set out how to better connect green links for walking and cycling to the South Downs to the north, to Brighton and Hove to the east and Worthing to the west. Development that contributes to local environmental improvements by enhancing open spaces and green links, and improving biodiversity will be encouraged.

Consultation on the draft JAAP was held in spring 2014, and raised issues such as connections for cyclists and pedestrians and the impact on local community services. All these are being taken into account in the preparation of the final plan; the aim being to submit the draft to the secretary of state for public examination in late 2015, and for it to be adopted by the councils in summer 2016.

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Projects Superfused

Teville Gate Plans to transform Worthing’s run-down Teville Gate into a major leisure and entertainment destination may finally be coming to fruition. Developer Hanson Capital Management’s proposals for a striking twin-tower design, gained planning permission in 2010, but various delays – including the economic climate – have held up the regeneration of this vital area of Worthing, right next to the town’s station.

The £150 million Worthing Gateway scheme, designed by Russ Drage Architects, will transform Worthing town centre. It will include a nine-screen multiplex cinema, 260 new apartments, a 100-bedroom hotel and new restaurants and coffee shops.

A conference and exhibition centre will also host arts events, private functions and community events; offices and business space will be provided.

As well as a new supermarket, the town centre will also see extensive public spaces and car parking.

In creating a new ‘front door’ for Worthing, it will enhance pedestrian areas connecting the town centre with the station. It will also improve traffic management, with new junction layouts and pedestrian-friendly crossings.

The environmentally friendly scheme will adopt high BREEAM and Ecohomes standards, include a range of renewable energy technologies with a central community energy centre. It will use sustainable construction materials from verifiable renewable sources, and provide a comprehensive central waste management strategy to facilitate and improve recycling.

i360 At the foot of the historic, but now sadly derelict, West Pier, the 159-metre Brighton i360 ‘vertical pier’ has been designed

by Marks Barfield Architects, which created the vision for the London Eye, still the UK’s most popular paid-for attraction 14 years after it opened.

Up to 200 visitors a time can board the fully enclosed aerodynamic pod at pavement level. It will rise 138 metres in 20 minutes, using a ‘vertical cable car’ mechanism, then descend to the lower promenade. A host will point out the sights and explain local history and the design and engineering of the i360.

The pod is spacious, with disabled access, and will have room to move around and see the view from different angles.

It will also feature a music system and a bar.

On a clear day, visitors will be able to see for 25 miles, to Eastbourne in the east and Bognor Regis in the west.

Brighton & Hove City Council has lent £36.2 million from the Public Works Loan Board for the development, which will generate annual interest payments of over £1 million as well as giving one per cent of ticket sales to the council. i360 is expected to create more than 440 permanent jobs, while also helping to regenerate Brighton’s seafront and Preston Street.

Another £4 million is being provided by the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, while the architects David Marks and Julia Barfield are investing £6 million.

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P.O. Box 5170 BRIGHTON BN50 9UN 01273 562 502 07768 511 548 E: Protodale@googlemail.com

www.yourstudentroom.co.uk GEORGE STREET, BRIGHTON

A development completed by YourStudentRoom and Meadowbridge Developments in 2012 of 41 student study rooms over four floors on the site of a former fabric warehouse and a long derelict service station.

The finished development was sold to a local language college specialising in overseas students.

NEW ENGLAND STREET, BRIGHTON

An interesting joint venture between QED Developments and YourStudentRoom involving providing 36 converted shipping containers for temporary accommodation for homeless assistance charity Brighton Housing Trust.

Work started in September 2013 and just 14 weeks later opened its gates to residents, with much local interest and some national exposure as well. This scheme challenges the boundaries of regeneration and makes excellent use of land tied up in site assembly or lengthy planning processes.

YSR are currently seeking new sites nationally to roll out more of these innovative developments that can have a range of uses from temporary residential accommodation, student rooms or offices.

NORFOLK HOUSE, SHOREHAM BY SEA

Norfolk House in Shoreham is a regeneration redevelopment of a vacant 1960’s office building previously occupied for many years by a government agency.

The scheme for nine luxury houses was consented in April 2012 and is unique in providing high end luxury housing in Shoreham town centre. Each three/ four bedroomed house will have under-croft parking, private passenger lift, balconies on every floor overlooking the river Adur and thanks to the innovative use of plastic piles in the new river wall each house will have its own pontoon on the river.

Designed by Jane Duncan Architects, whose principal is the current president of the Royal Institution of British Architects, the contemporary appearance of the building gives a welcome lift to the east bank and conceals the environmentally conscious re-use of much of the original structure. Work begins in Summer 2014 with projected completion in Summer 2015. This project is a joint venture between YourStudentRoom and Zise Developments.

HOLLINGDEAN ROAD, BRIGHTON

COLERIDGE STREET, HOVE

Our development in Hollingdean Road is currently at planning stage and involves the redevelopment of an underused yard area. The new building will comprise 70 new student rooms with associated kitchens, laundry and common rooms.

A joint venture between YourStudentRoom and Proptrade Limited, it is hoped that construction will commence in Summer 2015 with completion in early 2017.

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YOURSTUDENTROOM LIMITED ARE ALSO DEVELOPING IN ASHFORD, KENT, BECKENHAM, PORTSMOUTH AND SCARBOROUGH.

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WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SITES FOR STUDENT ACCOMMODATION FROM 20 ROOMS TO 200.

A small mixed use redevelopment

by YourStudentRoom and Proptrade Limited of a Victorian stable block and attached buildings behind an Edwardian terraced house in the Poet’s Corner area of Hove creating three houses and two offices suites.

Planning consent was granted in July 2014 with work due to commence in late September.

Completion is projected for the whole development in Summer of 2015.

Creative and digital Superfused

Design for life Creatives have long been drawn to Brighton and its neighbouring towns but such lifestyle choices are having a clear impact on the economy, as the creative and digital sector continues to flourish. James Wood explores Silicon Beach

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SHIMMERING NEON LIGHTS: Creative minds align for the Brighton Digital Festival.

outh to the sea, away from the chaos and competitive battleground of life in London, the Brighton and Hove region is proving to be an attractive alternative for young and enterprising talent.

With an established reputation for vibrancy and cultural diversity, creative entrepreneurs are arriving in Brighton and Hove and staying put, yielding an enterprising workforce in one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors.

Accommodating a network of 1,500 creative and digital agencies, working in fields such as film and television, design and advertising, SEO and publishing, bright minds thrive on a spirit of collaboration that has spurred innovation and a healthy environment to help young businesses develop.

As Jenni Lloyd from Nixon McInnes, a digital marketing agency which has been based in Brighton for a decade, puts it: “Brighton is a place where crazy ideas can come to life. Without such

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a fantastic network community, I don’t think this would work. The success of one company can lift us all.”

The region’s tech clusters are partly formed from talented graduates emerging from the city’s educational facilities – the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex. With thousands of digital and creative firms, employment prospects in the region are high. The city is ranked seventh by the thinktank Centre for Cities for the rate of private sector employment and is fourth among cities with the largest number of highly qualified residents.

Brighton Fuse, a two-year research project developed between the universities, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and Wired Sussex – a membership organisation for companies and freelancers operating in the digital sector – found that 73.4% of the 1,975 agencies it surveyed cited the city’s quality of life as one of the top three reasons to be based there.

Beth Granter, who works at digital agency, Brilliant Noise, a firm which

counts Nokia and EDF among its clients, says: “In my opinion, people choose to live in Brighton rather than London because they value a good work-life balance over a higher salary.

“As such, Brighton agencies have a healthy attitude to work. This balanced approach means creative industries are able to thrive because people are less likely to be downtrodden and overworked than they are in London.”

The Silicon Beach tech cluster is competing with the strongest in the

country – Brighton Fuse found that the average digital firm in the region is growing by more than 14% a year, with job creation at more than 10 times the rate of the wider UK economy.

Wired Sussex’s managing director, Phil Jones, says: “Over the past six or seven years, the scene has really changed. People used to have more broad ideas about what they wanted to do, but there is much more focus now.

“Entrepreneurs are offering more specialised services and really interesting creative content, and it is the ability to successfully merge this with digital media which is making for a flexible and adaptable market.”

Success stories are not in short supply. The digital agency Brandwatch, which monitors and generates analysis of social media channels to show companies how they are perceived online, is a significant exemplar.

Brandwatch’s first web crawler, a tool which collates results from search engines, was commissioned by the UK government in 2005 and growth since

Agencies have a healthy attitude to work ...

Creative industries are able to thrive

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Creative and digital Superfused then has been exponential – in 2013 year-on-year growth was reported at 101%. Between 2009 and 2010 revenue rose by 150%, allowing offices to be set up in continental Europe and the USA. With just 10 people at the company when it began, Brandwatch now employs 250 worldwide. It has more than 900 clients, including Vodafone, MedStar Health, Seat, World Vision, and even a well known political party.

CEO and partner at Brandwatch, Giles Palmer, says: “Social media has transformed the way people interact with each other, and there is an increasing recognition among global companies that there are real benefits to embracing these changes.”

Digital agencies can also be found in Worthing, where those such as Bond International, Focus and Freshegg attract attention – the latter of which has worked with John Lewis and Eurostar.

But digital is by no means the region’s exclusive creative force. Successful computer games developers operate in the region, such as Studio Gobo, launched by former members of Black Rock, the Disney-owned games studio, which was closed in 2011. Television production companies include Ricochet, which has worked with Warner Brothers and Lambert Productions – which recently produced a gritty documentary for the BBC, highlighting the alarming rise in prison suicides.

Around 7% of the UK’s e-learning services are produced in Brighton. One example, Kineo, began eight years ago with four people and now employs 150.

It was bought out by the City & Guilds Group in 2012 and now operates across 28 industries, working with over 10,000 centres and with training providers in 80 countries around the world.

Around 100 advertising and marketing agencies operate in the region. Killer Creative works with UK charities such as Cancer Research and the NSPCC, devising fundraising campaigns, marketing collateral and running mass participation events.

Utilising the range of talent in Brighton has helped to boost business.

Gary Milton, the company’s creative director, says: “We collaborate with various partners, so when we need specialist skills that we don’t have in-house, we always have someone on hand – from hair and make-up artists to 3D rendering specialists and some of the best photographers in the country.

“Creative mass participation events have become very popular.”

The opportunities to network are abundant. A consortium of 10 successful organisations runs the Brighton Digital Festival and participation is growing – both in the region and outside of it. The month-long festival features conferences, family entertainment, theatre and dance performances and exhibitions. Funding has been provided for 10 local outreach events and six larger arts commissions, as well as an increased education programme.

The September 2014 event, sponsored by American Express, offers evidence that big corporations are noticing the profitability of the digital

BETTER TOGETHER: A collaborative spirit is a feature of the region’s digital agencies, from Brilliant Noise (far left, top) to Brandwatch (left) to Nixon McInnes (above). This spirit is shared at the Brighton Digital Festival (far left and top).

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DIGITAL LOVE: Brighton’s creative agencies descend on Brighton Digital Festival (above and below).

sector. Corporate support to grass roots initiatives is helping them consolidate.

Elsewhere, one of the most prolific film companies is Jump Start Productions, founded by Jamie Patterson in 2009. The company has released 11 feature films, including City of Dreamers, which won seven awards around the world and was nominated for Best Feature Film at the Madrid International Film Festival.

A Brighton native, Patterson is proud of the city and thinks its benefits as a film location are comparable to Paris, Madrid and Edinburgh: “I’m biased, of course, but I really think this city has so much charm,” he says. “There are so many amazing characters and great sceneries here that Brighton just lends itself to being a fantastic shooting location – and slowly but surely, people are starting to take notice.”

Nestling between the sea and the

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I really think this city has so much charm. There are so many amazing characters South Downs, with a famous pavilion referred to among creatives as the “Googleplex of its day”, success is found among advertising experts, film producers and technology whizzes alike.

What makes them unique is that different industries are not mutually exclusive. The collective spirit and drive for success is contagious and the region’s creatives are helping to drive each other’s amibtions. “Collaboration is our competitive advantage,” says Jones from Wired Sussex. “After all, all boats rise with the tide.” ●

Creative and digital Superfused

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Coastal way Brighton and Hove is a housing hotspot – an easy commute for people working in London and a very attractive alternative to the capital, beside the sea and with great countryside within easy reach. Other towns along the coast are also popular and the Greater Brighton City Region’s obvious attractions cause pressure in the housing market. David Gray finds out what housing providers can do to meet demand 38

Housing Superfused The wider view: Between the sea and the South Downs, development space is limited in Brighton and Hove but the nearby towns offer affordable options.

T

he Sussex coastal towns – apart from Brighton – used to be known as sleepy places, popular with retired people.

But this region now has a transformed economy and very different demographics. The resulting opportunities and pressures are clearly visible in the local housing market – and London is a big factor.

“The strong recovery in the London housing market is now beginning to ripple out into the provinces. ‘Trading out’ from overheating London suburbs provides sellers with immediate cash sales to reinvest in new developments in commuter corridors,” says Lucian Cook, director of residential research at Savills.

Good connections certainly make the coast highly commutable, migrating Londoners push up prices (especially in Brighton) and the strong local economy attracts incoming investment, both national and global. Significant is the fact that most new arrivals are young families and professionals who will work and set up businesses in the area.

Economic and population growth are very positive but also cause high prices for home buying and renting. This is a dense urban area with remarkably little space for expansion, squeezed between the English Channel and the South Downs, now a national park with tight planning controls.

Brighton has the most acute housing issues. Population density in the city is 33 per hectare (compared to 4.5 across the south-east) and in 2012 there were 276,000 residents in 124,000 homes.

Brighton & Hove City Council expects

demand for 24,000 new homes by 2030.

Land Registry figures show soaring house prices. The average in Brighton and Hove in May 2014 was £249,035, up almost 10% in a year. Detached houses cost almost £490,000, terraced over £320,000 and flats £196,000. Property in the city costs 45% more than the England and Wales average.

Such prices, combined with relatively low local wages, means Brighton suffers severe housing need. There are almost 18,000 people on the city’s housing waiting list in 2014. Owner occupation is actually lower than the national average, whereas private renting is growing and accounts for 28% of housing stock.

An important feature on the Sussex coast is the ripple effect caused by Brighton’s prices. In a mini version of the London market, young families look for homes in adjacent neighbourhoods – from Saltdean to Seaford in the east and Shoreham to Worthing in the west, where housing is considerably cheaper.

Within Brighton itself, new housing is being created wherever space can be found and the City Plan proposes 13,600 new homes over the next 20 years. The New England Quarter by the

39

central station has its final apartments completed by Hyde Housing, which has 300 more homes under construction.

Hyde led the £20 million regeneration of the Open Market, which opened in July 2014 with 87 affordable homes.

Other current projects include Viaduct Lofts and One Hove Park. Also in Hove is an interesting new zero energy development by PortZED with permission granted for 52 homes.

Students are very important in the local market, with both Brighton and Sussex universities planning major expansions. Many students currently live in private rented housing, but the policy is now for purpose-built accommodation, freeing up rented properties for others. One such project is the Abacus building on the site of a former Co-op department store on London Road – developed by The Student Housing Company and opened in September for 350 postgraduate and overseas students.

Another important development in central Brighton is Circus Street – the £100 million Cathedral Group project for 400 student units, plus 142 homes, of which 20% are affordable, and new facilities for the University of Brighton.

The City College development includes accommodation for 400 students.

Cathedral Group is also involved in Brighton’s third big student scheme, the £150 million redevelopment of the former Preston Barracks on Lewes Road.

Contracts were exchanged in July 2014 between Cathedral and the council to build an innovation hub, shops, offices, student housing and new homes.

Detailed plans require permission but funding is secure and this large brownfield site will eventually have 1,300 student bedrooms and 350 new homes.

Brighton & Hove City Council plans to create more housing on its urban fringe and has identified 39 sites with potential for 1,200 homes. Agreement to achieve this goal presents challenges, since some of the sites are in multiple ownership but the majority belong to the local authority. On the plus side, the strong housing market should see no

40

The strong recovery in the London housing market is now beginning to ripple out

shortage of developers for the sites that do become available.

Planning permission is currently granted for 828 new homes on mainly brownfield sites within the city. There is also a high level of new applications for in-filling, a recent example being

an added floor of apartments on top of the old Dubarry perfumery building

by Hove Station. Then there is the local authority’s own programme for new council housing, with 45 flats for older people by 2015 and a further 60 homes across the city over the next two

Housing Superfused creative placemaking: Circus Street scheme

by Cathedral Group and McLaren. Roffey Homes’ Beach Residences, changing Worthing seafront.

Hyde New Housing apartments for sale and shared ownership at New England Square and SuperB.

years. These homes will mostly be on redundant garage sites and other small parcels of council-owned land.

Along the coast in Worthing, the economic and demographic changes are also fuelling demand. The major player here is Roffey Homes, for 50 years a developer of brownfield sites between Bognor and Brighton. Roffey currently focuses on high quality residential and mixed-use developments in the town centre and seafront. One example is Beach House, a glass tower with 49 apartments plus an 81-bed hotel, due for completion by summer 2015. Its Eardley development of 34 luxury flats was judged Best Apartment UK at the International Property Awards in 2012 and sold out very quickly. Another Roffey project is West Parade Tower with 32 apartments on the seafront.

Also in the Worthing area, Urb Group has permission to convert the long-derelict Lloyds TSB tower in Field Place into 44 affordable flats. Barratt Homes Southern Counties have a joint venture with Worthing College for accommodation for 1,700 students and 300 other new homes. Then there is major activity in West Durrington on Worthing’s northern fringe. Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Bovis Homes are all involved in developments to deliver 700 new homes along with a school and other community facilities.

The East Sussex country town of

Lewes, with good transport links and more competitively priced housing than Brighton and Hove, is seeing new housing developments. In Newhaven, the Eastside development will see 190 mainly larger homes of mixed tenure being built, of which approximately 25% will be affordable.

Growth Fund allocated for Newhaven’s flood defences will increase the supply of development land.

Demand along the Sussex coast will go on rising as the economy and population continue to grow. While there is the threat of unaffordable house prices deterring the young workers

and professionals needed to create economic growth, available sites in the coastal towns and Lewes can contribute to meet the demand.

Hemmed in between the sea and the hills, this densely urban strip needs all the new homes it can get. Major schemes in Brighton and along the coast now have the green light and smaller sites are being exploited. The Mayfields plan is for 10,000 homes, with a further 5,000 for Burgess Hill.

Matching demand with supply will not be achieved quickly, but completion of current projects will help reduce the pressure in Brighton and its region. ●

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Partners group – joining together to support the Greater Brighton City Region

Adur & Worthing Councils Scott Marshall scott.marshall@adur-worthing.gov.uk portZED (Harbour View Devts) Colin Brace colinbrace@orange.net Brighton City Airport Jonathan Candelon reception@shorehamairport.co.uk Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership Tony Mernagh tony.mernagh@bhep.co.uk Brighton & Hove City Council Cheryl Finella cheryl.finella@brighton-hove.gov.uk Brighton i360 (I-Xperience) enquiries@brightoni360.co.uk

Brighton City

Land Securities (Brighton Marina) Polly Troughton polly.troughton@landsecurities.com Coast to Capital Malcolm Brabon growth.hub@coast2capital.org.uk myHotel Brighton Steph Thrasyvolou steph@myhotels.com Worthing Homes Robin Roberts rroberts@worthing-homes.org.uk

For more information about these companies, visit superfusedmagazine.com

Visitor economy Superfused

Tourists and business travellers are worth millions to the economy of Brighton and its neighbouring attractions. While hedonists, suits and shoppers continue to flock to the south coast gem, the city is working hard to maintain the dominance of its visitor economy, as David Harris reports

Brighton belle

A

t first glance you might think that marketing a place like Brighton would be an easy job. After all, it is not short of visitors. It gets nine million a year, according to the council’s marketing arm, VisitBrighton, with almost 1.5 million of those staying at least one night. It attracts both leisure and business visitors, supporting

43

13,500 jobs in the city, and generates more than £750 million income a year.

Brighton has been a tourism centre since the 18th century. Surely if ever a marketing job was straightforward, this is it.

The obvious marketing ploy might be just to remind people of the city’s existence: “Come to Brighton, you know what we’re about!”

Well, yes and no. Brighton’s strong image is part of the problem. For some years it did acquire a reputation for hedonistic weekends, admits marketing officer Charlotte Barrow.

But Brighton offers a great deal more than that.

Barrow says: “We have been pretty successful recently in getting across the idea that Brighton is also good for families, for romantic getaways and as a base for visiting the countryside around us, such as the South Downs.”

A big environmental pat on the back was extended to the South Downs in June when UNESCO designated it as a “biosphere reserve”, a network of sites around the world deemed to promote a balanced relationship between people and nature.

It is this sort of thing that has pleased VisitBrighton in recent years because, says Barrow: “The articles that are now being produced show very clearly that we are more than just a party town. We want people to know there is far more to us than that.”

Brighton’s long-standing reputation as a gay-friendly place is also something that VisitBrighton is happy with.

Barrow says: “We do make efforts to let overseas visitors know that this is a gay-friendly city.”

Brighton is also, she stresses, very strong in its cultural offering, including the thriving Theatre Royal and the annual programmes such as the Brighton Festival and the Brighton Fringe, both of which happen every May. Even here things are taking a decidedly 21st century approach however. The theatre, for instance, is now choosing a major play at Christmas rather than the traditional panto. “We

44

are different from Margate,” she says.

The Brighton Fringe had 700 different acts this year and it is complemented by the Great Escape music festival, which aims to bring new acts to public attention. Adele is among those who played here before she was famous.

Then there is the Fabrica art gallery, converted from a church, and more independently owned shops than any south-east town or city outside London.

Barrow says: “One of the things we encourage visitors to do when they leave the station is not to walk straight down to the seafront, but to turn left and see what the North Laine can offer.”

Working with local businesses is crucial to VisitBrighton and it has 450 partners – hotels, retailers and other businesses – all of which work together to keep the city on its commercial toes. They all pay an annual fee to VisitBrighton, which uses every penny to promote the city’s virtues.

Development matters too. Brighton’s hotels have been working hard to improve themselves in recent times, with the Grand and the Metropole both refurbishing in the last couple of years.

New hotels are also being established, with the Accor brand Ibis opening a hotel last year, for instance.

The hoteliers themselves seem to like

Visitor economy Superfused

Brighton is also good for families, for romantic getaways and as a base for visiting the countryside the approach of Brighton & Hove City Council doing what it can to support them, with many saying that both the planning and promotion arms of the council are invariably helpful.

Steph Thrasyvoulou, development director of myhotel, feels the group’s hotel on Jubilee Street is at the epicentre of all that is happening in

DIVERSITY AND CHOICE: From the busy Lanes to peace and quiet in the surrounding South Downs. Ella Eyre performing at this year’s Great Escape music festival. The Brighton Fringe family picnic.

Brighton. He adds: “Its proximity to London is fantastic, but we like how we can partner with the council and others in Brighton. The way the town works is more boutique, which suits our brand.”

The success of the hotel is one reason why Thrasyvoulou is pleased to be overseeing its expansion. This is planned in stages with a new penthouse

Worth a visit Worthing’s character is changing as younger residents move in and take advantage of wind and watersports. Kitesurfing is on the up as Lewis Crathern, four times the British Kitesurf Champion says: “Worthing is a really cool place to live and has become the kitesurf capital of the UK, offering some of the best conditions in the world.”

Worthing Watersports sells kit for windsurfing, kitesurfing, kayaking, and SUP (StandUp-Paddleboarding), which originated in the Hawaiian surf scene and has found fans in Worthing.

The town also hosts the International Birdman Festival, a flight competition for humanpowered flying machines.

And for faster and more conventional flying machines, there’s the annual Shoreham Airshow, featuring heritage planes and daredevil antics.

45

being built in the hotel in the next few months, followed by a development of more rooms in the mews houses behind the hotel. That should increase its capacity from 79 bedrooms to nearer 90.

The hotel’s customer base, like that of many others in the town, is a mixture of business and leisure. Thrasyvoulou says that for myhotel this divides about 50/50, with the weekends stronger for leisure and the week stronger for business guests.

The way the hotel works with local businesses is underlined by its food and beverage operation, which includes Indian restaurant operator The Chilli Pickle and the Small Batch coffee company, both of which offer a distinctive local flavour.

Thrasyvoulou says: “This is the third iteration, as London operators weren’t as well received. Brighton really responds to local operators, and that suits our boutique spirit.”

It’s not just hotels that are building and developing. Brighton station is among the important sites in the city that has been given a facelift recently, including a cycle hub with space for 500 bikes. Cycle hire companies operate near the station and on the seafront.

Once a byword for decay, the seafront is now known for cutting edge attractions, which will soon include the i360 observation tower, allowing visitors to observe the city from a glazed pod, 180 metres up. Due to open in summer 2016 it is being designed by the London

46

Brighton really responds to local operators and that suits our boutique spirit

Eye team, Marks Barfield Architects.

New shopping areas are being created too, notably at the seafront arches near West Pier, which are being converted into a new destination for galleries and shops. There is also investment in the London Road area, where a permanent market opened in July to encourage more independent retailers to set up. Nearly 50 new

tenants have moved into space offering fresh, locally sourced food as well as arts, crafts, services and garden goods.

For Barrow and the city’s marketing department, it is all part of the cocktail that helps to show Brighton can offer attractions on a whole series of different fronts. If you thought you knew Brighton, you probably still have something to discover. ●

Visitor economy Superfused

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Location location: American Express’ new nine-storey building.

Gatwick Airport is less than half an hour away.

Growing places Businesses love Brighton, from startups and SMEs to the likes of American Express, it’s a popular location. The city’s office market is undergoing change and further expansion is needed, with space under pressure, redevelopment of existing sites is an important part of the solution, as David Blackman reports 48

Offices Superfused

I

n terms of location, Brighton has for many years had plenty going for it. Direct rail lines link to three mainline London stations, with the fastest journey to Victoria taking just 52 minutes, while Gatwick Airport is less than half an hour away.

It also offers potential employers a highly educated workforce – graduates make up 46% of the Brighton and Hove population. There are other less tangible factors too – the unique character Brighton enjoys as an urban seaside resort.

This vibe has certainly helped make Brighton a magnet for SMEs setting up shop in the city’s booming creative, digital and IT sectors. These smaller startup creative businesses value central Brighton’s attractions and amenities.

Emma Hards, an associate at Brighton-based property consultancy Stiles Harold Williams describes the city as a “great little hub for technology and media companies”.

“Gaming IT wizards tend to set up in Brighton and then they’ll get bought up by bigger companies or expand themselves. They’re the guys we see expanding a lot into the bigger space quite quickly and they’re happy to spend the money on good quality office space.”

An example of a big technology firm that has been attracted to the city is Mediatonic, the computer games developer. Two years ago, it took space at the recently refurbished One Gloucester Place. Meanwhile, Brighton born and bred e-learning company City & Guilds Kineo moved into new premises at Sovereign House earlier this year after outgrowing its former premises.

But Brighton doesn’t just appeal to trendy tech outfits. Global insurance company Zurich has a big presence in the city, while American Express recently decided to retain its European headquarters in Brighton.

The credit card giant, which demonstrated its commitment to the city by sponsoring Brighton & Hove Albion FC’s new stadium, has built

a nine-storey building that is able to accommodate 50% more staff than the 2,000 employees who used to work in its old Wedding Cake HQ. Raymond Joabar, the company’s country head for the UK, said the new HQ reflected Amex’s commitment to building a sustainable working environment for its Brighton and Hove employees.

For the Brighton commercial property market as a whole, Amex’s decision to stay and expand was a vote of confidence. Hards says: “It’s a great building. I would love to have some space like that on the market.”

And it reflects strengthening demand for office space across the city, says Hards, noting rising rents on Grade A properties. “The Brighton office market is improving. We have seen greater demand and enquiries.”

However the flipside of this tightening in the market is a shortage of good quality, modern office space in the city.

of Brighton-based digital media company Cogapp, this is a problem: “Finding good office space here in Brighton is incredibly difficult and a big distraction.

“When we get it, it is often on wildly unsuitable terms and without the appropriate level of broadband connectivity for a dynamic growing business like ours.”

The council’s City Plan warns that this “deficiency in existing space is potentially undermining future economic growth and competitiveness.”

The council’s research estimates that the city will need up to 112,000sq m of new office floorspace by 2030, in order to accommodate its jobs growth.

A number of factors hold back office development in Brighton. Like many other cities, developers have had problems securing finance in the wake of the credit crunch.

However, Brighton’s unique location,

The Brighton office market is improving. We have seen greater demand and enquiries The majority of current city centre stock consists of refurbished older buildings that are not suited to current business needs. Office of National Statistics data shows that more than 75% of the city’s office buildings date back to before 1970 and just 6% have been completed since 1990. Less than 2% of the available stock of office space in the central Brighton area is high specification. And the vacancy rate for Grade A office accommodation is just 2%, far below the 10% level generally deemed healthy for firms to expand or move premises.

Hards says: “Brighton hasn’t seen much new development recently and we need good quality, modern office space.”

For Alex Morrison, managing director

49

new developments: Mediatonic’s offices at One Gloucester Place. The Circus Street redevelopment by Cathedral Group.

sandwiched into a narrow strip between the sea and the protected South Downs poses the biggest constraint to development in Brighton.

Hards says: “The geography of Brighton doesn’t really help – 180 degrees is sea so space is an issue.”

Added to that, Brighton contains around 3,500 listed buildings, many of which are concentrated in the city centre. This means there is an extremely limited availability of vacant sites in central Brighton to deliver the new space that is needed.

However, determined developers are finding a way through these planning hoops.

Close to the new Amex HQ, local developer Centurion is redeveloping a corner of The Lanes in the historic city centre.

As well as offices, homes and a boutique hotel, the development will add the first new Lane in 30 years to the warren of alleys that makes up the historic heart of Brighton.

Meanwhile, a stone’s throw from the

50

Royal Pavilion, developer Cathedral Group is working with the council to turn the redundant Circus Street municipal markets into an ‘Innovation Quarter’ that will include office space targeted at corporates and startups.

To preserve the amount of office stock available, Brighton & Hove City Council has secured an exemption from new government rules allowing the automatic conversion of city centre

offices to flats in the city centre.

An important part of the solution to the supply of office space is the refurbishment of old stock to feed the demands of the current market.

Queensbury House, a six-storey, 1960s building in Queen’s Rd, just one minute from the railway station, was extended and underwent complete refurbishment in 2009. An office building at the Gloucester Place and North Road junction underwent a multimillion pound investment in its refurbishment in 2012 – and over half of the space in One Gloucester Place was let to INTO University Partnerships. Also in central Brighton, Sovereign House on Church Street has been transformed into an impressive contemporary workspace with a glazed, four-storey atrium.

Sovereign House is the Brighton base for City & Guilds Kineo.

As a successful location in which to do business, Brighton aims to attract further new developments, which will enable it to fulfil its status as the 21st century’s first new city. ●

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enquiries@investhounslow.com

- 5 new Crossrail stations

Circus Street will be a vibrant new quarter of the city, bringing Towers, sky economic and educational benefits to Brighton and cultural, & ambiTion Hove. The scheme will include: OPPORTUNITY ENFIELD / The regeneration of Enfield

Gillette Corner, Brentford

CAPITAL OF WEST LONDON

The regeneration magazine of the London Borough of Ealing/issue 05/spring ‘14

COMING TO TOWN!

14/08/2014 12:13

Great West Investment destination: Hounslow

Bedfont Lakes, Bedfont

Arch Angels Artisan producers at Bermondsey’s Spa Terminus and Maltby Street Market

issue 5 2014

PBA_Reading_UK_Ad_v7aw.indd 1

Towering Success Architectural gems – Southwark’s’s tall buildings transform London’s skyline

DESTINATION EALING

Issue 11 Spring 2014

Issue 11 Spring 2014

Our clients often tell us that without our teams’ technical excellence, planning expertise, our fastidious attention to detail and market leading project management their schemes would have never have happened. Go to www.peterbrett.com or to Twitter @peterbrettllp to find out how your next scheme could be #poweredbyPBA

Mammoth Task Certainty at last for development of Delancey’s Elephant & Castle retail centre

CREATIVE TALENT: BRIGHT BUSINESS

READING:UK The magazine for business in Reading

Paradise Circus, Birmingham

Adventures in Brewtopia The business of beer is booming, with microbreweries focusing on the perfect pint

southwark

The magazine for business in Reading…

Excellent connections, good growth, relocations and festival buzz

We’re proud to be making the UK’s most important development and infrastructure projects happen

The New Black The city moves south – with the first schemes completing, more projects start on Blackfriars Road

EALING IN LONDON

reading:uk issue four/ autumn 2014

southwark

Cornwall Marine Renewables Business Park

15/05/2014 10:52

Around 1,300 new homes will be delivered, alongside a primary school, 40-acre public park, office park, theatre and community facilities.

Autumn 2014 Issue Five

THE OLD VINYL FACTORY – CHART TOPPER IN HAYES

www.standrewsuxbridge.com www.stmodwen.co.uk

Hiilingdon Ad 16 May 2014.indd 4

18/06/2014 14:45

CIRCUSSTREETBRIGHTON.COM

375 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY +44 (0)20 7978 6840 3foxinternational.com

*93.3% of respondents to an independent survey of magazine readers in 2009

HELP TO BUY

#1 | Winter 2014 Investing in the Greater Brighton City Region

A NEW WAY TO MOVE WITH JUST A 5% DEPOSIT It doesn’t matter whether you’re renting, living with family/friends or you’re at the stage where you’re looking to move up the property ladder or just need more space for you growing family – the Governmentbacked Help to Buy scheme could be the key. You require just a 5% deposit and it is available to both first time buyers and homeowners.

Investing in the Greater Brighton City Region

Cissbury Chase, Bolsover Road, Worthing BN13 1NS

Kingley Gate, Worthing Road (A259), Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 (Opposite Eldon Way, off the A259)

This stunning new development brings a superior collection of two, three and four bedroom properties to Worthing. Choose an apartment or family home at Cissbury Chase and you can enjoy bright and roomy living areas and generous outdoor spaces.

Kingley Gate is an exciting new development for north-west Littlehampton offering two, three and four bedroom houses.

This expansive new neighbourhood will bring 600 premium new homes, contemporary employment space, stunning landscaped grounds and comprehensive amenities.

3 bedroom homes from £249,995 barratthomes.co.uk/cissburychase

or call 01903 240 731

barratthomes.co.uk/kingleygate

or call 01903 252 672

Help to Buy

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER LOAN SECURED ON IT. Limited availability, selected plots only. Subject to status, terms and conditions apply. See www.barratthomes.co.uk for full details. BDW Trading Limited (number 03018173) whose registered office is at Barratt House, Cartwright Way, Forest Business Park, Bardon Hill, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 1UF (“BDW”) BDW is a subsidiary of Barratt Developments PLC. The Homes and Communities Agency (“HCA”) provides an equity loan for 20% of the purchase price of the property. The equity loan provided by the HCA is secured as second charge on your property. The amount you have to repay to the HCA may be more than the amount of the equity loan provided. Scheme is available in England only and on properties up to £600k.

Prices correct at time of going to press. Advertising images may include upgrades as home spec can vary, purchasers of Barratt homes spend on average £3,132 on upgrades.

#1 | Winter 2014

Marketing suites and show homes open daily 10am - 5.30pm

3 & 4 bedroom homes from £264,995

Coastal way: housing market Brighton belle: visitor economy