Ferry Wharf

ECE Planning

ECE Planning were appointed by Shoreham Port Authority to secure planning permission for the redevelopment of the former Edburton Aggregate Recycling facility at Basin Road North, Portslade. Working in close collaboration with ECE Architecture, we successfully delivered consent for 868m² of flexible B1/B8 employment floorspace, alongside associated car parking, landscaping, and infrastructure.

The development comprised a two-storey building housing four individual business units of varying sizes. Designed to meet the needs of local small and medium-sized enterprises, the scheme includes dedicated cycle storage, refuse provision, and electric vehicle charging points, ensuring the new commercial space is both functional and highly marketable.

A key planning challenge centred on the site’s safeguarded status for waste and minerals use. ECE Planning took the lead in developing a robust planning case, presenting a clear and well-evidenced justification for releasing the land from these policy constraints. Central to our case was a detailed analysis of the wharf’s historic operational context and the practical limitations of reinstating its former waste and minerals function.

By demonstrating that the safeguarding designation was no longer viable or strategically appropriate, we were able to shift the planning balance. Our approach successfully highlighted the wider economic benefits of the scheme, bringing underutilised land back into active employment use through the delivery of high-quality, flexible commercial floorspace tailored to local business needs.

Following positive engagement with Brighton & Hove City Council and the successful negotiation of a Section 106 agreement, full planning permission was granted. The result is a sustainable and well-integrated scheme that contributes meaningfully to the regeneration of Shoreham Port and supports the city’s growing economic base.