Sussex has more planning-sensitive land per square mile than almost any county in the South East. The South Downs National Park runs through the middle of it, the High Weald AONB covers a large portion of the north, Brighton has 49 Article 4 directions, and Chichester has 85 conservation areas. That sounds like a constraint, and it is, but it also means the work here tends to be serious, architect-led, and properly specified. Clients in Sussex generally know what they want and have done the background work before they call.

We work across Sussex on residential, coastal, heritage, and agricultural projects. If you have a project and want to understand what's achievable, get in touch and we'll give you a straight assessment.

Typical projects in Sussex

The range of project types in Sussex reflects the county's varied character. Common work includes:

  • Architect-specified residential new build and extensions within or on the edge of the South Downs National Park
  • Victorian and Edwardian flat roof and bay roof replacement in Brighton, Worthing, and Eastbourne
  • Heritage and conservation area work in Lewes, Rye, and Chichester
  • Self-build and one-off homes in Mid Sussex and Horsham districts
  • Coastal property renovation where material specification accounts for sea air
  • Agricultural and rural work on the High Weald fringe

The commuter belt towns, including Horsham, Haywards Heath, and Burgess Hill, are the least planning-constrained part of the county and the most active for new residential work. Both Horsham District and Mid Sussex District run statutory self-build registers, and there's a consistent pipeline of one-off homes being built here, many of them architect-designed.

Materials and systems

Zinc suits South Downs landscape projects well. Where an architect has designed a building that references natural or contextual materials, zinc's tonal range, from bright natural to pre-weathered blue-grey, can present a credible case to the SDNPA. It handles the complex geometries that characterise contemporary buildings in sensitive settings.

Copper is the appropriate choice on heritage and listed building work in Lewes, Rye, and Chichester. On Victorian properties where lead is being replaced, or on projects where the owner is specifying for the long term, copper is a considered and contextually appropriate material that improves with age.

Aluminium is the right specification where planning requires a specific colour or finish, and it's well-suited to coastal applications. PVDF-coated aluminium holds up against salt air better than uncoated steel, and the pre-finished colour range gives architects control over the final appearance on projects where that matters.

Full material comparisons and system details on our materials pages.

What matters on Sussex projects

Planning is the defining consideration for most Sussex projects, and getting the material specification right before an application is submitted saves significant time. Within the South Downs National Park, permitted development rights for external alterations do not apply in the usual way, so almost anything visible from outside needs a planning application. The SDNPA Design Guide (July 2022) favours local building traditions such as flint, brick, and tile-hanging. Metal roofing requires a justified design case, but that is achievable on the right project and we can advise on what has been accepted.

In practical terms, that means it is worth speaking to us before the material choice is locked in. We can often help clients avoid spending time on a specification that is likely to draw resistance.

The High Weald AONB has its own design guide and colour study, which is a material planning consideration across 15 local authorities. Metal is not a traditional material in the Weald, but it is conventional on agricultural buildings and can be justified on contemporary residential work. Knowing which category your project falls into, and how the design case needs to be framed, matters because it affects what is likely to be acceptable first time.

For coastal work, salt air from the English Channel is a practical consideration on exposed south-facing elevations. Copper and PVDF-coated aluminium hold up better than unprotected steel in these conditions. We factor fixings and flashing specification into coastal projects as a matter of course. It is worth noting, not alarming. Metal roofing performs well at the coast when it is specified correctly.

We also bring established proof points to Sussex work: more than 20 years of specialist experience, supplier relationships with manufacturers such as VMZINC, PREFA, and RHEINZINK, and reviews that consistently mention the finish and professionalism of the work.

Who we work with

In Sussex we work with architects, homeowners, self-builders, and main contractors. A lot of Sussex enquiries come from architects seeking a specialist subcontractor for a project in a sensitive location. We're comfortable working from drawings, providing specification support, and contributing to the planning case where material choice is part of the application.

For larger projects we provide full RAMS documentation and can work within a principal contractor's programme and health and safety requirements.

Why clients contact us

  • Their project is in the South Downs National Park or High Weald AONB and they need a contractor who understands those frameworks
  • They need accurate pricing from drawings, including projects still going through planning
  • They're specifying for a coastal location and want to know which materials to use
  • Their architect has specified a material and they need someone who can execute it to the right standard
  • They need heritage or conservation area work done by someone who understands what that involves

If you have a project in Sussex, send over your drawings, location, or a short outline of the brief and we'll advise on material choice, planning sensitivity, and the next step towards a quotation.