Planning permission in Brighton and Hove is one of those things that seems simple until you start digging. Most homeowners assume their project is straightforward — and most of them are wrong. The city's layered planning constraints mean the rules that apply to your neighbour's house might not apply to yours at all. WhatCanIBuild exists precisely to cut through that confusion, telling you what's actually been approved for properties like yours.
The short version
- Brighton and Hove has 32 conservation areas covering huge swathes of the city — your street may be affected without you knowing
- Properties near or within the South Downs National Park face restricted permitted development rights
- 1,229 listed buildings means heritage constraints are far more common here than in most UK cities
- A householder planning application costs £548 and typically takes 8 weeks — getting it wrong is expensive
The conservation area problem is bigger than you think
Brighton and Hove has 32 conservation areas. That's not a small number. It covers huge portions of the city — from Kemp Town to Hove seafront to the Preston Park area and beyond. If your property sits within one, a whole layer of restrictions kicks in that simply doesn't apply elsewhere. External changes that are completely fine on one street can require full planning permission two roads away.
Most homeowners don't realise they're in a conservation area until they've already committed to a project. And even those who do know they're in one often have no idea what that actually means for their specific plans — because the rules aren't uniform even within the same area.
The South Downs boundary changes everything nearby
Brighton and Hove sits directly on the edge of the South Downs National Park, and some properties fall within Article 1(5) land as a result. This matters because it restricts the permitted development rights that most UK homeowners take for granted. Work that wouldn't need planning permission elsewhere — certain extensions, outbuildings, alterations — may need it here.
The tricky part? Whether your property is affected depends on exact location, not just general area. Being close to the South Downs isn't the same as being on Article 1(5) land. But the consequences of getting it wrong are real.
Listed Buildings
Brighton and Hove has 1,229 listed buildings. If yours is one of them — or if you live in a converted part of a listed building — the rules are significantly stricter. Works that are permitted elsewhere may require listed building consent here, separately from planning permission.
Article 4 directions and what you probably don't know about your street
Beyond conservation areas and the South Downs, Brighton and Hove City Council has Article 4 directions in place that remove permitted development rights in specific locations. These are hyper-local — they can apply to a single street or even a cluster of properties. There's no reliable way to know if your address is affected without checking.
This is the layer that catches people out most often. You can know you're not in a conservation area, know you're not listed, and still find that an Article 4 direction means your planned loft conversion or rear extension needs full planning permission — with a £548 application fee and an 8-week wait.
What actually matters for your property
The best way to understand your position isn't to read more guidance — it's to check what's actually happened on your street. What projects got approved near you? Which ones were refused, and why? That's the intelligence that tells you whether your project is likely to sail through or hit resistance.
WhatCanIBuild shows you the approval patterns for your specific area — not just whether you're in a conservation area, but what that actually means for a project like yours, based on real decisions made nearby.
The combination of constraints in Brighton and Hove — conservation areas, listed buildings, the South Downs boundary, Article 4 directions — means the gap between "I think I'm fine" and "I definitely know I'm fine" is wider here than almost anywhere in the south east. WhatCanIBuild closes that gap before you spend money on architects or applications.
These rules vary by property
Conservation areas, Article 4 directions, and other constraints can change everything. Check what actually applies to your address.
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