Mile Oak Road Housing Development - What we know so far

Updated 4th September 2025:

Many of you will now have had the chance to see the proposed plans for the development on the edge of Hillcroft and a chance to speak to one of the architects on the 3rd September.

Not surprisingly at the event, the council went to some lengths to appease residents with the design and the addition of a small playground and allotment and there can be no doubt regarding the pressure to build social housing. But this proposal has some serious flaws which we have highlighted below.

There were several contradictions on the day regarding the amount of car parking spaces allocated to each dwelling ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 . You would have liked to think that they would have known the facts given the controversy regarding the impact to others in terms of parking in the local area.

At the end of the evening, we spotted the two main architects getting into their cars which were parked on the pavement in The Rise, as they could not find a parking place and  presumably did not fancy the 1X!

On our visit they admitted that they had previously failed in their attempts to build a separate access to the land from Mile Oak Road, because of the logistics and the lay of the land further down Mile Oak Road.

The question needs to be asked - if it was originally deemed that access via the dangerous junction at The Rise and Hillcroft was unsuitable, why is it OK now? Another  250 daily car journeys via this junction is only a recipe for disaster.

It is more important now than ever that we stick together and object to this scheme which is clearly not suitable for the amount of dwellings and car journeys and pedestrian safety.

Your views can make a difference!

Over ten years ago, local residents lobbied successfully with the council to make changes with a previous planning proposal and even though this is social housing built by the council, the correct due process needs to take place. Therefore it is important you register your objections by the 30th September 2024 online at:

Project: New Homes for Neighbourhoods - Land off Mile Oa... | Brighton & Hove City Council (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

There have been a few comments on social media saying this is a done deal and of course that is always a concern. However, when it comes to building new homes - health & safety needs to be at the forefront on any decision making process and we all have a duty of care to protect our downland.

OBJECTIONS:

Many of you will have your own reasons for objecting, but please if you can, include the following .

               HEALTH & SAFETY:

1. Unsafe access to the site via The Rise and Hillcroft and the surrounding road infrastructure are not appropriate for the amount of dwellings planned. This includes the dangers of more pedestrians crossing Mile Oak Road, both via the proposed new pedestrian access and via The Rise.

   The new housing development potentially will mean an extra 250 car journeys per day entering and leaving this close. The development equates to potentially an extra *62 cars and squeezing in 150 extra residents into an infrastructure currently bursting at the seams.

2. The  proposed plan will result in cars and commercial vehicles parking in nearby Monarchs View which will exaggerate further the lack of parking which has resulted in an Ambulance and Fire Engine being unable to access two recent emergencies. As a side note, it is worth mentioning that both architects parked on the pavement in The Rise due to lack of parking.

   WILDLIFE:

3. Loss of an important wildlife habitat. For example (page 18) of the Ecological assessment states that the site is of local level importance for the assumed local hedgehog population. Many would have seen the Mile Oak Road hedgehogs featured on BBC Springwatch a few years ago.

4. Slow worms (reptiles) are common in this vicinity and according to (page 29) of the Ecological assessment, an overall reduction in extent of habitat will result in a long-term negative effect of moderate significance.

5. There is also now a badger set on site (since the assessment was carried out last year) and Pipistrelle and Myotis bats commonly roost in the nearby trees bordering Mile Oak Road and any development can only have a very negative effect.

6. Notable plants were recorded just off site during the ecological survey which includes Red Star Thistle which is nationally rare. The Sussex Wildlife Trust have also stated the unsuitability of this site because of the negative effect on nature.

   OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY:

7. The proposed site is 30 meters from the South Downs National Park and it is inappropriate to site so many dwellings on this land which will be lost forever. The extra 1/3 of land to the west of the site that has been adopted in 2022 (without the knowledge of local residents)  in part ii of the local plan should at least be a buffer between the boundary of the National Park and would also keep the integrity of the existing horses field.

   The two elderly horses who live in the field are likely to need to be re-housed during the building stage. In terms of development, most residents feel the proposal bordering Mile Oak Road, will have too much impact on the  National Park.

Residents expected from the original letter sent in 2020 that a few dwellings would run parallel to Mile Oak Road (see top right), minimizing the development which is only 30 meters from the boundary of a National Park.

Even though the previous Monarch View plans were reduced, there is still not enough parking for residents due to squeezing in too many new homes.

Squeezing in another 62 cars is likely to make matters a lot worse!

Run off of water from The Rise combines with that of Edgehill Way and regularly floods Mile Oak Road and pours down the steep frontage of a house in Mile Oak Way as it makes it way down to Valley Road. Numerous attempts have been made by the council to alleviate the problem which will only get worse with another development likely affecting other properties as climate change worsens.

We have a voice and together we can make a difference!

If you are unhappy with this proposal. Please add your name and object below so we can work as a team to unite against this proposal. More importantly, don't forget to object to the council using the link provided earlier by the 30th September.

*62 cars based on average car usage and size of potential households

REGULAR FLOODING IN MILE OAK ROAD:

Other factors include the risk of flooding in the surrounding area.

Mile Oak Road floods regularly by Edgehill Way and residents have concerns that another housing development in this area will exacerbate the problem as water makes it down on its natural journey to Valley Road etc.

PAVEMENT PARKING IN NEARBY MONARCHS VIEW:

The poor design of new developments has a lasting effect on a neighbourhood and is dangerous forcing pedestrians including the elderly, parents with small children in buggies into the road.

Summary:

In short, I don't think anybody underestimates the need for more social housing, but any planning application needs to be appropriate to the local area and more importantly access needs to be safe.

Concerns exist that local councillors and the planning process is not impartial and the council will not treat any planning application with enough due diligence as pressure mounts to provide social housing at the expense of health & safety and buildings destroying our downland.

As current guardians of this beautiful area of outstanding natural beauty, it is all our responsibilities to protect this habitat.

An injury to a pedestrian recently caused by a dog running out of a house and a the pedestrian not seeing a metal sign which was hidden by a van parked on the pavement.

The Rise recently had an accident with a car coming down on the wrong side of the road (because of parked cars) crashing into a car turning into The Rise on the wrong side of the road (due to the layout and nature of the junction).

250 extra car journeys are unlikely to make the pavements any safer given the government and councils drive to promote active travel.

It is over development and poor neighbourhood design which is the root of the problem.