The Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee voted unanimously in favour of permitting FOOTPRINT+, a four-day exhibition and conference to be held in June 2022 at Hove Lawns and British Airways i360.

Cllr Marianna Ebel, joint chair of the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee, said: “We are delighted that the FOOTPRINT+ conference is coming to Brighton & Hove next year. FOOTPRINT+ is an opportunity to work together to accelerate action against climate change, and as such it fits in perfectly with our city’s aim to become carbon neutral by 2030"

The event will bring together local authorities, developers, manufacturers, consultants and regulatory authorities from across the UK to radically re-think how buildings are designed, built and re-purposed to combat climate change.

The team behind it includes award winning architects Tim Pyne and Emily Day together with Sophie Law-Smith. They all live and work in the city.

Tim Pyne, director of FOOTPRINT+, said, “With this event, we aim to bring a wide range of benefits to the city, in addition to the value of attracting 2000 delegates. We are working on a programme of fundraising support for local charities, tree planting and restoration projects, as well as support for local young homeless people.”

“We will also be throwing open our doors on the final day of the exhibition to local students from Year 9 and older, offering young people the opportunity to see all the different jobs available in design and construction and to meet industry insiders.”

In traditional Brighton & Hove style, a fringe programme of events and installations running alongside FOOTPRINT+ will firmly put Brighton and Hove in the environmental driving seat, curated by Design Brighton 1.5° will be working with local businesses, students and residents.

Sophie Law-Smith, said, “FOOTPRINT+ will provide us with an expansive and truly international platform to showcase the collaboration our region is demonstrating in order to achieve our own 2030 zero carbon ambition.”

Design Brighton 1.5° fringe events will include Open Studios, architectural tours, talks, site visits, design competitions, business led networking events and collaborations on installation trails with educational and business partners.