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Green light for University of Sussex Masterplan set to create 2,400 jobs

The University of Sussex’s campus Masterplan has been given the go-ahead after the proposal’s original rejection by Brighton & Hove City Council.

The University’s Masterplan, which represents a potential £500 million investment in the local economy, will support the creation of around 2,400 new jobs in the community.

The project includes 2,500 new student rooms on campus and facilities to support this expansion as well as preservation of architect Sir Basil Spence’s famous listed buildings and surrounding landscape.

The Planning Inspectorate, a government agency that deals with all planning appeals, assessed the University’s appeal at a hearing in Brighton earlier this month.

The public inquiry was cut short after the Council withdrew its objection to the Masterplan proposals and confirmed the benefits of the University’s plans. Its Planning Committee had refused the University’s planning application in June 2014.

The Registrar, John Duffy, said: “We welcome the Planning Inspector’s decision to approve the University’s Masterplan proposal and are pleased both the Inspector and Brighton & Hove City Council agree on the merits of our plans to modernise our campus.

“The University has taken great care to ensure our Masterplan is sympathetic to the architectural heritage and unique landscape of the campus, and over many years, we have gone to significant effort to preserve and enhance these features so that current and future generations can enjoy these surroundings.

“The careful development of our Falmer campus will allow us to provide a better education and experience for our students, while delivering substantial investment and more jobs in Sussex and the wider region.

“Over many decades, we have maintained a strong relationship with the Council and we will continue to engage with them constructively on the evolution of the campus. We also look forward to working together with local residents and businesses to listen to their views and ensure that we create a modern university that will benefit the whole of Brighton & Hove.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .