Up to 45 council homes planned on Woodingdean's old open-air pool site

Brighton & Hove City Council wants to build 40 to 45 council homes on Warren Road in Woodingdean, on the site of the former open-air swimming pool and two council-owned houses, Oak Cottage and Ash Cottage. It is asking for views on the early designs in an online survey open until 2 November.

The homes would go to people on the council’s housing register and be let through Homemove, like other affordable rented homes in the city. The council says more than 5,000 households are on the register and more than 2,000 are living in temporary accommodation.

What’s proposed

The current plans show 43 homes in a building of about three storeys, arranged in a U-shape around a courtyard garden. There would be 16 one-bedroom, 17 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom flats, five of them wheelchair accessible, and every home would have private and shared outdoor space. The council says the building would sit below the height of the houses on the northern side of Warren Road. Brick facades and a hanging slate top floor are among the materials being considered.

Existing trees would stay, and the plans add native planting and rain gardens. The council has appointed an ecologist and a landscape designer, and is working with the South Downs National Park on how to limit the effect on the countryside next to the site.

Parking is still being worked out with the highways team. The site is served by the 2 and 22 buses, and there is a Beryl Bikes hire point within a two-minute walk.

The pool

Woodingdean’s open-air pool closed in 2008. The council says it is dilapidated and that nobody has asked about using it in the last few years. A condition and cost survey found it would not be financially viable to bring it back into use. The council points instead to new pools planned at the Withdean Sports Complex and at the new King Alfred Leisure Centre, which is expected to open in 2029.

What happens next

The council held a consultation drop-in session at Woodingdean Library on 1 October. The survey runs from 5 October to 2 November. Feedback will be used to refine the proposals, and a summary of the consultation findings and the council’s response to key themes will be published once the consultation has closed.

It expects to submit a planning application in spring 2027. If that is approved, building could start in spring 2028 at the earliest, and residents would be able to comment on the application through the planning process.