Vote on Hove Station Area and Rottingdean Parish Neighbourhood Plans

Residents will have the chance to vote on the Hove Station and Rottingdean Parish Neighbourhood Plans when separate referendums take place in each area on Friday 9 February 2024.

Neighbourhood plans sit alongside other local planning policies, such as the City Plan, to guide development and to help decide the outcome of planning applications in the area.

Each referendum will ask the question: "Do you want Brighton & Hove City Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?"

Registering to vote

Residents in each of the neighbourhood plan areas who are eligible and registered to vote will be able to have their say at polling stations on the day or by postal vote. To vote by post you must have registered for that by 5pm on 25 January.

Following the count, the result of each referendum will be published on the council website on Saturday 10 February. If more than 50% of those voting support the neighbourhood plan the council will formally adopt it at its next meeting.

The Rottingdean Parish Neighbourhood Plan Area includes parts of the South Downs National Park and therefore the National Park Authority will also be required to formally 'make' the Neighbourhood Plan.

Councillor Alan Robins, Chair of the Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism & Economic Development Committee said: "These are the first two Neighbourhood Plans in the city to have reached this final stage. We hope that as many residents as possible in each area will help shape the future of their community by taking part."

Previous consultation

Both plans had extensive public consultation before an independent examiner was appointed to assess whether they met legal requirements relating to national and local planning policies, and whether they would contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.

At a Full Council Meeting on 14 December 2023, the Examiners' recommendations for changes to each plan were accepted and it was agreed to go to a residents' vote in both areas.

How and where to vote

More information about how and where to vote in each referendum, as well as details of each plan and supporting documents, can be found online at Neighbourhood Plan Referendums - Friday 9 February 2024 (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Paper copies of the documents relating to the Hove Station Area Neighbourhood Plan are also available to view at Hove Town Hall Customer Service Centre, Hove Library and Jubilee Library.

Paper copies of the documents relating to the Rottingdean Parish Neighbourhood Plan are available to view at Bartholomew House Customer Service Centre, Rottingdean Library and Jubilee Library.