FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
- What is being planned for the Shoreham Harbour area?
- What area will the plans cover?
- Are you planning 10,000 homes and where will they go?
- What is a Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP)?
- What planning controls are in place in the interim period before the Joint Area Action Plan is adopted?
- What will happen to the Port itself?
- Who is leading the Shoreham Harbour Regeneration?
- How can people and organisations get involved?
What is being planned for the Shoreham Harbour area?
The long term aspiration of the regeneration project is to deliver the following:
- Improve employment opportunities
- Provide new housing areas including affordable and family homes
- Improve and integrate the public transport, pedestrian and cycling networks
- Support new retailing, leisure and community infrastructure opportunities
- Support all new developments to adopt the highest standards in sustainable design to achieve low / zero carbon developments
- Protect and enhance the area’s historic, environmental and architectural assets
- Provide new and improved areas of open space and enhance access to the waterfront and to the South Downs
- Provide new flood defence infrastructure to support existing communities
- To continue to develop a thriving and modern port
- Reduce inequalities by providing facilities and services to enable local residents to acquire education, training and skills
Central to the project is the need to ensure that new development is as sustainable as possible, ensuring that buildings are highly energy efficient seeking new renewable energy opportunities where appropriate. Please see our Homepage for the vision for Shoreham Harbour.
What area will the plans cover?
The majority of Shoreham Harbour is located within Adur District in West Sussex, with a smaller section falling within Brighton & Hove City Council in East Sussex. The precise boundary of the Shoreham Harbour regeneration area is still to be determined but the core of the area encompasses the working Port of Shoreham, parts of the surrounding urban areas of Shoreham-by-Sea, Southwick, Fishersgate (all in Adur District Council / West Sussex County Council) and Portslade (Brighton & Hove City Council). Please see our Background page for more information.
Are you planning 10,000 homes and where will they go?
Technical work was undertaken during 2008 / 2009 as part of a statutory requirement to test the capacity of Shoreham Harbour to accommodate levels of development indicated in the Regional Spatial Strategy for the Region - The South East Plan - (up to 10,000 dwellings).
This work indicated that a significantly lower capacity figure (in the region of 5,000 homes) could potentially be achieved by 2026. However it was advised that this level of housing would be dependant on significant areas of reclaimed land being made available on the south side of the Port area.
Subsequent viability assessments advised that the upfront costs of undertaking the reclamation process necessary to achieve this scale of development would not be commercially viable in the short to medium term. This has been compounded by the economic crisis affecting the property investment market and withdrawal of public funding streams for physical regeneration.
Since this time the Government has indicated its intention to revoke the South East Plan, the intention now formalised within the Localism and Decentralisation Bill. This change of direction provides a new opportunity for the project to reconsider the appropriate scale of development informed by consultation with local residents and businesses. Technical work is underway to provide a greater understanding of the flood defence system and transport infrastructure requirements to support development at Shoreham Harbour. Further work will be required as the project progresses.
Critically, a Development Capacity and Viability Assessment is being undertaken that will establish the scale of development to take forward into the Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP - see question below) from a ‘bottom-up’ perspective, to ascertain achievable development levels that are not dependant on reclamation, taking into account the needs of local communities and financial viability considerations.
What is a Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP)?
A Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP) is a planning document which provides the framework and guidelines for developers to work within in a fixed area. It is a joint policy document to be adopted by the three relevant local authorities (Adur District Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, West Sussex County Council) to ensure that there is a holistic and consistent approach across the area. It will offer a clear view, agreed by the three local authorities, on the area of land which could be considered for regeneration, as well as what kind of development will be acceptable in the area. The Core Strategies for both Adur and Brighton & Hove are being progressed in advance of the JAAP to set the strategic framework and the JAAP will then follow on to add the detail. The Core Strategies will set out the strategic direction whilst the JAAP will be concerned with delivery. Please see our Planning page for more information.
What planning controls are in place in the interim period before the Joint Area Action Plan is adopted?
Whilst the Core Strategies and JAAP are being prepared, the three local authorities have jointly prepared and adopted Interim Planning Guidance (IPG). The IPG is being used to inform development control decisions to take a more holistic view of development in the area.
For Adur, the IPG supplements policies in the Adopted Local Plan and for Brighton & Hove the IPG supplements the policies in the Brighton & Hove Local Plan primarily EM12. The IPG also demonstrates the long standing commitment of the local authorities to work together to deliver regeneration at Shoreham Harbour. The IPG is currently being updated to reflect recent changes in policy.
What will happen to the Port itself?
The continued existence of a thriving and expanding commercial port is an integral aspect of the regeneration of Shoreham Harbour. The consolidation and modernisation of the Port’s activities may give rise to development potential by releasing land for redevelopment.
Shoreham Port Authority has recently developed a Port Masterplan (a requirement of the Department for Transport) for the commercial port which explores its future development and operation for 15 years and beyond. The Port has prepared this plan in consultation with the project partners, the local community and other stakeholders on the Port Masterplan.
Who is leading the Shoreham Harbour Regeneration?
The leaders of the three Local Authorities (Adur District Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council) meet regularly to provide a strategic steer to the Regeneration Project. Please see our How to get Involved page and our Contact us page for further details.
How can people and organisations get involved?
There will be a number of opportunities and ways in which local people, businesses and organisations will be able to get involved in shaping the Regeneration Project. Please see our How to get Involved page and our Contact us page for further details.
