Last updated: 29 September 2026, 8.42am BST
Ash Cottage on Warren Road, one of the historic Woodingdean cottages connected with the proposed site, photographed in 2012. Photo: Paul Gillett / Geograph, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0. This is an archive image and does not show a final scheme.
At a glance
- Brighton & Hove City Council is considering up to 42 council-rented flats on Warren Road in Woodingdean.
- The early proposal covers the former swimming-pool site and two cottages associated with the former Warren Farm Industrial School.
- A public drop-in is scheduled for Thursday 1 October, from 3pm to 7pm, at Woodingdean Library.
- Online consultation material is expected from Monday 5 October until Monday 2 November.
- No planning application has been submitted and no decision has been made.
An early proposal for up to 42 Woodingdean council flats will be shown to residents this week, giving people their first formal opportunity to question the scheme before a design is fixed or a planning application is submitted.
The council is looking at land in Warren Road that includes the former swimming-pool site and two historic cottages. It says the proposed homes would be let at council rents to households with an existing connection to Brighton and Hove, including people currently living in temporary accommodation.
What happened
Details supplied by the council to the Local Democracy Reporting Service describe a scheme of around 40, and potentially up to 42, flats. The proposal remains at a very early stage.
The council has scheduled a public event at Woodingdean Library, Warren Road, BN2 6BA, from 3pm to 7pm on Thursday 1 October. It expects to publish consultation information online from 5 October to 2 November.
Officials say feedback will be analysed before the design is developed. A planning application is currently expected in spring 2027, when residents would have a separate opportunity to make formal planning representations.
That distinction matters: this is a proposal and consultation, not planning permission. The number, layout, height, access and final treatment of the cottages may change.
What is proposed on Warren Road
The site includes land formerly occupied by Woodingdean’s swimming pool and two cottages from the former Warren Farm Industrial School. A council urban-character study identifies the industrial school as one of the neighbourhood’s earliest groups of buildings, dating from before Woodingdean’s major expansion in the 1920s.
Local concerns reported so far include the loss of historic buildings and community space, pressure on healthcare, transport and other services, road safety, and potential overlooking near Downs View School. Woodingdean Wanderers currently uses Ash Cottage on a temporary basis, while other buildings in the group accommodate community and commercial uses.
The council says it will assess road capacity, traffic movements and pedestrian safety, and engage with schools, healthcare providers and community organisations if the scheme progresses.
Why the Woodingdean council flats plan matters locally
The proposal brings two genuine local needs into conflict. Brighton and Hove has a serious shortage of social housing and continuing pressure from temporary accommodation. The council has already introduced measures to use more of its own housing stock for homeless households and has been buying back former council homes to increase supply.
But housing numbers alone do not settle whether this is the right design or site. Warren Road already carries local and through traffic, while the cottages have historic and community value. The consultation needs to show how the project would deal with access, parking, service capacity, safeguarding and the relocation of existing users.
The debate also comes shortly after nearby residents backed the Coldean neighbourhood plan, another reminder that communities want a meaningful role in shaping growth rather than being shown a finished answer.
Brighton Locals’ view
Our judgement: the objective is positive, but the current evidence is too limited to judge the scheme itself.
Up to 42 genuinely council-rented homes could make a useful contribution in a city where many households face insecure or temporary housing. However, an early consultation is valuable only if the council is prepared to change the design in response to evidence.
The test should be straightforward: publish the site plan, proposed building heights, housing mix, access arrangements, heritage assessment and service-impact evidence before asking residents to choose between “homes” and “heritage”. Those issues can be assessed together. Until that information appears, firm claims that the project is either essential in its present form or wholly unacceptable are premature.
What residents need to know
- Attend in person: Woodingdean Library, Warren Road, BN2 6BA, Thursday 1 October, 3pm to 7pm.
- Ask for specifics: request the proposed heights, number of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, parking and disabled-access arrangements, and the plan for current cottage users.
- Record your evidence: comments about traffic, schools, healthcare or overlooking are stronger when they identify a location, time or practical impact.
- Online response: look for the council consultation page from Monday 5 October. The announced closing date is Monday 2 November.
- Planning stage: this consultation is not the final statutory process. If an application is submitted in spring 2027, comments will need to be made again through the council’s planning register.
What to watch next
The first test is the material shown on 1 October. Residents should look for a clear red-line site boundary, indicative massing, heritage options and a realistic explanation of where existing services would move.
After 2 November, the council should publish a consultation summary explaining what changed and what did not. Brighton Locals will then watch for the planning application, the confirmed number and tenure of homes, and the supporting transport, heritage and service assessments.
Bottom line
Woodingdean is being asked to consider a meaningful addition to Brighton’s council-housing supply, but the proposal is not approved and the design is not settled. This week’s drop-in is the moment for residents to demand the evidence that will determine whether 42 homes can be delivered without avoidable harm to local services and heritage.
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