Major sixth-form college upgrade given go-ahead

Modern classrooms, a student café, sports hall and new entrance will be built at Varndean College in Brighton

Plans for a major upgrade to a sixth-form college in East Sussex have been granted outline planning permission.

Modern classrooms, a student café, sports hall and new entrance will be built at Varndean College in Brighton.

Some locals objected to the proposals, citing concerns that the new buildings may affect their “strategic view” of the sea.

But Labour councillor Jacob Allen said the site was “inadequate as it stands”.

The plans were voted through unanimously by Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee on Wednesday.

'A positive thing'

Varndean College submitted the proposals as part of its seven-year masterplan for the site, which includes a new three-storey teaching block in place of temporary classroom buildings.

Mr Allen, who backed the application, said: “I know from the experience of people speaking to me that when they found out they were going to be taught in the cabins, there’d be increased truancy because of how cold it was.

“Building permanent structures is a positive thing.”

The plans were voted through unanimously by Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee

However, campaign group Green Varndean secretary Sue Dibb said while broadly supportive of the proposed plan, there was “one major exception”.

“That is the excessive and unnecessary height of the proposed new teaching block and the negative impact this will have on the designated view,” she said.

“Specifically, we object to the application on the grounds of the inappropriate height of development, poor design, loss of residential amenity and restriction of view.”