Circus Street, Brighton – U+I (a Landsec company), Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Brighton with shedkm

On the site of a derelict former municipal market, the partnership has delivered a new 2.4-acre mixed-use neighbourhood. The £130m development provides 450 student bedrooms, 142 new homes, 30,000 sq ft of office space, 10 independent shops, cafes and restaurants, a 14,000 sq ft dance space and two public squares.

Where is the project located? 

Circus Street, Brighton, BN2 9AS.

Who is on the project team?

• Architect: shedkm
• Executive architect: tp bennett
• Structural engineer: PEP Civils & Structures (design), Manhire Associates (construction)
• M&E consultant: Foreman Roberts Consulting
• QS: Faithful & Gould
• Landscape consultant: J & L Gibbons

Describe the context of this project and its neighbourhood and people?

A ground-breaking partnership between U+I (a Landsec company), Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Brighton has injected new life into an overlooked part of the city, introduced beauty where there was blight, brought jobs, culture and investment and expanded the limits of what was previously thought possible. On the site of a derelict former municipal market, the partnership has delivered a new 2.4-acre mixed-use neighbourhood, Circus Street. Circus Street addresses a multitude of pressing needs for Brighton, including jobs, homes, green space and culture.

Circus Street was complicated to design, fund, obtain planning for and deliver. But a mixed-use scheme was what the neighbourhood needed and it would not have worked otherwise – for Brighton, for the community or for U+I’s partners. In close collaboration with innovative architecture studio shedkm and landscape architecture studio J&L Gibbons, U+I drew inspiration from a beautiful 1792 terrier map of the city, and made it a blueprint for the development’s future, bringing back elements of the city’s historic street patterns, and the original topographies of the streetscape.

Tell us what you did and how the project, event or installation enlivened the place in a creative way?  

The mix of uses and facilities at Circus Street makes it a thriving place, that offers real benefits to a wide range of people – whether they live, work or visit. From bike workshops to dance performances, as well as an eye-popping Anish Kapoor installation, U+I delivered social and economic value through engagement that will pay off long into the future; meaning it is not just worthwhile, it is also long-lasting. The jewel in the crown of the development is the Dance Space, the first new publicly-funded arts building in Sussex in over a decade. Part creative research space, part community dance space, delivered at zero cost to the public purse by U+I as part of its visionary scheme, the building will draw 70,000 people a year to the site while enriching Brighton’s cultural fabric. The homes at Circus Street include a mix of one and two bed apartments, rendered in a style reflecting the grand Regency townhouses and mansion blocks of the historic city. They provide essential housing, including 28 affordable homes, while integrating with the urban design of Brighton.

Did the project make a positive social and environmental contribution? 

Circus Street has been designed to promote healthy vibrant sustainable places, weaving responsible living and wellness into the lives of residents and other users. The scheme includes highly-energy efficient buildings powered by photovoltaics, with green energy to all new homes, green roofs to support local flora and fauna, safe pedestrian and cycle routes and over 600 secure cycle spaces. Over 100 trees have been planted across the neighbourhood along with 10,000 shrubs, grasses and plants, contributing to the city’s green corridor next to Valley Gardens. This includes an orchard, including 20-year-old, semi-mature crab apple trees, and a ‘champion’ 14-metre elm tree, in recognition of the city’s important role in hosting the National Elm Collection.

The office provides exemplar space in line with changing work habits and the shift away from bigger cities. Businesses can attract talent that would otherwise have commuted to London, safeguarding their wellbeing as well as ensuring more economic value stays in Brighton. The offices themselves are also flexible, so tenants can adjust the space based on their requirements, which will be especially important in difficult market conditions. New homes, operated by M&G Real Estate and available in a range of tenures and typologies, have enabled a mix of residents to make themselves at home. Similarly, hundreds of new students can enjoy a city centre location – close to the university and everything the city has to offer. Combined, this variety ensures Circus Street is resilient to demographic changes.

At Circus Street, through an innovative three-way public private partnership, U+I has unlocked under-utilised land to deliver community, jobs, homes and huge social impact contributing to a £200m gross value add to the local economy in the next ten years and creating a halo effect that radiates across the city long into the future. Circus Street will have created 430 new jobs across construction and future employment opportunities. The office provides much needed high-quality workspace for Brighton, with a city-leading BREEAM Excellent sustainability rating and WiredScore Platinum-rated digital connectivity, it will allow companies to attract and retain employees directly from the local rich talent pool, in a city where there is a severe shortage of quality space meaning important businesses are leaving or not relocating within the city. Global tech company Hyve – named as “One to Watch” in the Sunday Times’ Profit Track 100 List – moved in earlier this year, taking 9,000 sq ft of space over two floors.

Two other local businesses are also opening their doors, further expanding the offer at Circus Street and contributing to the neighbourhood’s economic value. Japanese restaurant FUMI from Wolfox and White Cloud Coffee will employ local talent and serve high quality F&B in an area currently lacking compared to the wider city.