07th January 2026
BHASVIC responds to planning objections over proposed sports facilities
As is often the case with planning applications, there are tensions surfacing and a fair amount of misinformation circulating, which we aim to correct with the information below.
Our existing sports facilities are not the standard you would expect for one of the best sixth form colleges in the country, and we want to address that to provide first-class resources for our students and to match the provision of other local education providers.
The field is currently not of adequate quality for sports teams to use, and our students are having to travel to off-site locations even just to train. That’s not good enough and creates additional costs and time implications for our staff and students. We have therefore developed and submitted a proposal for an artificial pitch and netball court to be located on the land we own. We have the funds to build this. The artificial pitch is smaller than a full-size pitch and will be used by our students for training and curriculum work and by the community for five-a-side games and junior football matches.
It is important to remember that we are seeking to improve existing facilities for the benefit of our students and the wider community. We are not applying to change the use of this space, which has been a playing field since 1913.
A condition of this planning application is that there must be a ‘community use’ plan for these pitches. We have submitted this and aligned our proposal with the council’s plan for a ‘healthy city’ with increased leisure facilities. This is not a profit-making exercise for us, but one driven by a desire to enhance our educational and sporting provision and to provide a genuine community asset.
Image 1: Aerial shot of BHASVIC, Playing Fields, BOAT and Dyke Road Park
The image above shows that BOAT is already surrounded by playing fields and other floodlit artificial courts, which already host weekend and evening sports clubs, children’s holiday clubs, and groups of people socialising.
Our proposed development is to the right of the theatre, shielded by mature trees and a pavilion. The pitch will be dug down into the slope of the playing fields, creating a significant barrier between it and the theatre. The prevailing wind will take noise across the pitch and away from the theatre. Our noise management plan suggests there is enough acoustic attenuation as part of the pitch design to ensure that it will not lead to the disruption that BOAT claims.
We did not deliberately avoid naming BOAT in the noise report, instead they were not named because modelling shows that they are not impacted by it. The image below shows the noise impact assessment zone, which demonstrates the impact on BOAT to be less than 50db, which is roughly equivalent to the hum of a refrigerator (the green zone is <50db).
Image 2: Noise impact assessment illustrating predicted noise levels surrounding the proposed development, with a reference to the location of BOAT
In response to BOAT's concerns, we will commission an expanded noise impact analysis specifically around any impact this project may have on BOAT. This is not an admission that anything was missing in the planning application itself, as all the correct technical supporting documents have been submitted. Instead, this is an additional survey to demonstrate to BOAT and others that they will not be impacted by noise from this development.
As part of our submission, we have actively engaged with residents, stakeholders and user groups over a three-month period this summer, and that is reflected in our application. Planning is a democratic process, and we respect the right of all voices to be heard.
Our hope is that the clear educational benefits, the promotion of physical exercise, and the needs of young people and the community will lead to the approval of this project. As part of that approval, we can work with BOAT and the planning committee to ensure that both facilities can co-exist together, rather than taking an ‘us or them’ approach to this development. We want these desperately needed facilities, and we want BOAT to thrive. Both things are possible.
Comments on the planning application can be made on the Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Portal. Click here to view and submit comments on this planning application.