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11th December 2015
The Preston Barracks site on Lewes Road is to be transformed into a “definable city quarter” according to Brighton & Hove City Council.
The barracks themselves are to become 350 housing units – 20% affordable homes, 500 student bedrooms, a Central Research Laboratory (CRL) plus health care centre. Adjoining university land that is also included in the development, plus the Mithras House car park across the road, will comprise a further 800 student bedrooms and 25,000 sq ft of retail space.
The hope is to make the area a “definable city quarter”. This is a welcome development not only for the brownfield site of the barracks itself, but to give a greater sense of purpose to an area that currently feels like little more than a through road between the city centre and the universities.
The development should also contribute significantly to the local economy – as all good developments should – as well as boosting the prestige of the University of Brighton, and the “academic corridor” in general.
Having exchanged contracts last summer, the site is now owned by the University of Brighton, with a lease granted to Cathedral Group to carry out the £150m redevelopment of the area. The development is part of a £17.4 million investment into University of Brighton research and buildings, with £7.7 million provided as part of the government's Coast to Capital local enterprise partnership.
Plans are currently being finalised. We don't expect it to be too long before the builders move in to begin construction.