Proposals for Benfield Valley will create a sensitive new neighbourhood quarter within the Benfield Valley, Hove.
As part of Brighton and Hove Council’s City Plan, two sites have been allocated for the construction of 100 homes to the north and south of Hangleton Lane with the ambition of creating a ‘gateway’ to the South Downs National Park, while protecting, enhancing and improving public access to the remaining green space.
Our proposal consolidates the new neighbourhood on private land to the north, (currently used for footgolf and parking) preserving community parkland to the south and improving accessibility, whilst minimising the overall environmental impact.
The neighbourhood will provide 101 new homes, including 40% designated affordable housing. A new community/educational hub will be created in the Grade II listed Benfield Barn alongside workshops within the footprint of historic ruins of farm structures and cottages that form the Benfield Barn Conservation Area.
The design creates a defined edge to the new settlement with a new neighbourhood sheltered within its boundaries. Framed views of the wider landscape beyond are captured in the skyline articulation created by massing configurations of homes.
Shared surface streets are designed to create a low traffic speed environment with pedestrian priority in mind and encouraging opportunities for neighbourly interaction. Street widths are narrower than those of traditional suburban estates to provide a pedestrian focus within the public realm with a sense of enclosure and strong identity.
Parking is provided incurtilage within the footprint of each home - reducing the visual impact of cars and freeing the streets for pedestrians and cyclists.
The proposals attempt to nurture a strong sense of community by creating a range of communal public realm spaces. Community orchards and productive gardens on the northern and eastern boundaries of the neighbourhood references the rich history of horticulture within the site. Within the Benfield Barn Conservation Area the Grade II listed barn will become a community hub with flexible space for events, wildlife interpretation, exhibition, educational use and a café. The historic farmyard ruins, including a gridwork of flint walls, will be retained to form the enclosing walls to the new workshops and an office for the footgolf course to the north. Similarly, a new central neighbourhood square, complete with fruit orchard, will provide a meeting place for residents. A community space at the base of a marker apartment building here will spill out into the square via a covered loggia during community gatherings and events.
The dual fronted courtyard homes are clustered together to deliver a density of 53dph with over 50% family houses. Flexible and adaptable internal living space is central to the design, responding to 21st century lifestyles. A range of outdoor amenity spaces from ground floor courtyards to upper-level terraces, provide extended seasonal use and flexibility.
Materials reference historic vernacular dwellings of East Sussex with upper level hung tiles and prefabricated ‘Bungaroosh’ wall panels (a historical material, used almost exclusively in Brighton and Hove) helping to define entrance thresholds.
