Hollingdean Green
A proposed new neighbourood on the site of Hollingdean Depot.
See also Life near the Dump to read about the impact of Hollingdean Depot on nearby residents.
The entire land area of the Hollingdean Depot site is 4 hectares.
It currently consists of:
1. Veolia's facilities (1.8 hectares) i.e. The Materials Recovery Centre, The Waste Transfer Station and the Visitors' Centre,
2. Council Operations & Housing (1.7 hectares) i.e. space used by Cityclean for vehicle servicing, street cleansing operations and staff administrative offices and
3. Nettleton Court and Dudeney Lodge (0.694 hectares) i.e. the housing blocks, green spaces and remedial reading centre. These high rise residential tower blocks are due for demolition since they do not meet the current safety standards in relation to their ability to resist a disproportionate collapse in the case of an explosion or large fire.
Note: combining the 1.7 hectare council depot and the 0.694 hectare housing block brings the exact total to roughly 2.4 hectares, but local planning briefs historically round these adjacent council land allocations down to a combined 2.2 hectares.
Redevelopment of Hollingdean Depot and Adjacent Housing Blocks.
Planning brief for sympathetic residential housing with provision for greenspace on the site of Hollingdean Depot to replace The Waste Transfer Station, The Materials Recovery Centre, The Visitors' Centre, Cityclean's premises, Dudeney Lodge and Nettleton Court.
1. Vision
To deliver a green, people-focused, mixed tenure neighbouhood that:
- Provides new family homes, low-rise flats, and supported senior housing
- Replaces Dudeney Lodge and Nettleton Court with modern, accessible homes
- Removes industrial operations from a residential setting
- Restores the environment through full decontamination of the waste site
- Creates public parks, safe walking routes, play spaces, and biodiversity corridors
- Prioritises social wellbeing, active travel, and climate resilience
2. Key Objectives
Housing Approx. 300-350 homes, including:
- Social and affordable housing
- Replacement homes for existing tower residents
- Family houses and low-rise apartments (4-6 storeys max)
- Accessible units and senior-friendly homes
Design Approach
- Brick and timber-faced buildings that reference local character
- Human-scale streets and traffic-calmed layout
- Passivhaus-informed energy standards
Passivhaus (German for "passive house") is a strict, internationally recognized design standard for buildings that use very little energy. - Retained and enhanced tree canopy
Greenspace & Public Realm
- Minimum 30% site area as green & civic space
- Linear park connecting to existing green routes
- Play areas, community garden / allotments
- Sustainable drainage (rain gardens, permeable surfaces)
Movement
- Priority for walking, cycling, mobility scooters
- Reduced car dependency
- Electric car club & shared mobility hubs
3. Waste Site Relocation
The WTS and MRF must be relocated to a strategic industrial location with:
- Direct A-road access (A27/A23 axis)
- Lower residential impact
- Capacity for modern recycling infrastructure
- HGV access separated from communities
4. Land Remediation Requirement
Redevelopment depends on full investigation and remeditation of former waste handling areas.
Scope
- Phase 1 Contaminated Land Assessment
- Phase 2 Intrusive Soil and Groundwater Testing
- Asbestos, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, PFAS screening
- Site-wide remediation plan
- Certification that land meets residential standards
Remediation Actions
- Excavation and treatment of impacted soils
- Groundwater protection and monitoring
- Removal or encapsulation of contaminated sub-base
- Environmental validation report
Standards
Compliance with DEFRA/EA Land Contamination Risk Management (LCRM) framework and residential land quality thresholds.
5. Phasing & Resident Guarantee
- Decant plan with right to return
- Temporary accommodation locally where possible
- Social value commitments: apprenticeships, local labour
6. Budget Summary
| Component | Estimated Cost | |
| WTS & MRF relocation | £30-40m | |
| Demolition (depot + towers) | £3.5-6m | |
| Environmental surveys & testing | £75k-£150k | |
| Soil & groundwater remediation | £2-4m | |
| Housing + public realm delivery | £50-90m | |
| Total Estimated Cost | £85.5-140m |
Costs reflect UK brownfield redevelopment benchmarks; final figures subject to investigation results and procurement model.
7. Funding & Delivery
- Homes England support
- Brownfield Land Release Fund
- Local authority & affordable housing grant funding
- Cross-subsidy from market-sale units
- Net-Zero and green-infrastructure grant eligibility
8. Expected Outcomes
- Safe, clean and decontaminated land
- Upgraded modern homes for existing residents
- New public green network and community spaces
- Removal of HGV activity and industrial uses
- Enhanced biodiversity and climate resilience
- Contribution to housing needs without greenfield loss
9. Notes
The Hollingdean Depot site already has electricity, water supply, telecoms, gas and sewerage. The proposed new neighbourhood would be on or close to bus routes 50, 26 & 46 and a 10-minute walk from London Road Brighton railway station.
By 2033, when Veolia's contract expires, its installations will be 25 years old. The buildings already have design and structural deficiencies. They need a larger site in order to offer [A] an airlock entry system, which should be standard, and [B] adequate landscaping.
[A] Unlike modern facilities, the Hollingdean Waste Transfer Station building lacks a sealed double-door vehicle vestibule. This is considered a glaring structural omission for a site handling black bin domestic refuse. Because there is no mechanical airlock buffer, massive amounts of odorous air escape directly into the surrounding residential basin whenever the primary industrial roller doors open to admit refuse trucks.
[B] Because of spatial constraints on the Hollingdean Depot site, both the WTS and the MRF are inadequately landscaped. Initial architectural blueprints featured expansive vertical green walls and a sustainable green roof to visually and structurally mask the facilities. However, because these elements were omitted from the final legally enforceable planning conditions, they were never built. The natural tree barriers along the railway corridor to the south of Veolia's installations were stripped away during construction, exposing nearby homes to industrial noise and exhaust fumes.
In March 2026, an operational upgrade to the Materials Recovery Centre was agreed: an investment of £2.3 million to install new optical sorters, conveyors and chutes to ensure compliance with national waste laws. By April 2033, the new equipment will be 7 years old within a poorly landscaped 25-year-old building.
10. Summary
This project replaces an outdated waste facility and ageing housing blocks with a sustainable, inclusive, nature-rich neighbourhood, unlocking major health, housing, environmental and community benefits for Hollingdean and the wider city.
What prompted this vision?
In late August 2026, the planning policy team within the City Development and Regeneration department at Brighton and Hove City Council Email: planningpolicy@brighton-hove.gov.uk "called for sites" with a view to getting people to suggest future development for the new city plan which will manage growth in Brighton and Hove up to 2044.
Link to the letter I have submitted to them.
I believe that Hollingdean Depot is a more suitable site for residential development than its current use and hope that others will support the suggestion of creating a Hollingdean Green Community of about 300 households and moving the WTS and the MRF to a larger site where their impact on local residents can be reduced through a more suitable location, better landscaping and state-of-the-art technology to reduce odour escapes.
This page was last updated by Ted on 02-Sep-2026