Hanningtons Lane, Brighton

HOP undertook the Civil and Structural Engineering design for this prestigious new development in The Lanes, in central Brighton.

The former land locked Hanningtons service yard has been given a new lease of life with the introduction of a modern lane comprising of retail units at ground level with two storey residential accommodation over, as well as remodelled existing shop units to North Street. New pedestrian links were formed to adjacent shopping streets creating a new cultural quarter in the heart of Brighton.

The layout of the lane required amalgamation of the new units within, over and under the surrounding buildings. With the existing building stock spanning four centuries, from the late 17^th Century, Grade II Listed Puget’s Cottage to the 1960’s Huntingdon House, a number of existing construction types had to be assessed for re-use and adaptation.

With a level difference of 2.5m across the site, retaining walls were required as part of the foundation design in order to maximise the retail space that could be accessed from both North Street and the new lane.

Throughout the design HOP ensured the stability of the existing buildings whilst designing new steel framed structures to integrate with them, often using the permanent works to assist or negate the requirement for temporary works within this tight city centre site.

On the 18th April 2019, Hanningtons Lane opened to the public for the very first time and visitors were able to walk down Brighton’s newest lane.

“This has been one of the most challenging but rewarding projects many of the construction team have ever worked on. We hope that as retailers open and visitors wander through the new Lane, visit The Flint House roof terrace, see Puget’s Cottage revealed for the first time in 150 years and experience our green wall and exciting new art projects, they will appreciate how much thought and detail has gone into the project.”

– Andrew Foulds, Portfolio Director at Redevco

Photography by Jim Stephenson: @clickclickjim.