ONE of the city’s biggest employers has announced plans to build up to 200 homes as part of an £80 million scheme that will “cater for all types of residents”.

Legal and General has exchanged contracts to buy land to deliver Brighton’s first build-to-rent development at Longley House, just to the east of the New England Quarter.

If the plans are approved once submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council, the site, which is currently an industrial space, will be used to build the homes and up to 3,000 square metres of offices to house and support start-ups and growing businesses.

James Lidgate, CEO at Legal and General Homes, said: “Brighton is a thriving city with a hugely talented workforce.

“The UK needs urban centres that are fit for purpose and can support a creative, sustainable community like Brighton.

“Our build-to-rent pipeline is growing at a pace and it is exciting to see the impact that our developments are making to our UK cities.”

The company said that Brighton is the seventh city in the UK which it will bring a build-to-rent scheme to, offering “high quality, well managed and specifically designed” housing in busy urban areas.

The build-to-rent scheme, a Government initiative launched in 2012 to increase the number of homes for rent in the private sector, offers funding through the Home Building Fund for development schemes.

Legal and General hopes to meet the demand of a high number of young professionals moving to the city with the planned scheme.

The company said there is currently a shortage of homes in Brighton and the development alone would deliver a third of the city’s annual housing target.

Dan Batterton, build-to-rent fund manager at Land General Investment Management Real Assets, said: “Brighton is a vibrant city where people want to live and work.

“This acquisition represents a rare opportunity to acquire land in an unrivalled location and to deliver the first institutional-grade build-to-rent scheme.”

The proposal is intended to allow residents to keep their pets at home and offer more secure and flexible tenancies.

A public consultation is planned to launch in late February or early march.

The company expects to submit a planning application in the summer.

EPR Architects, which would be designing the development, was also behind the Amex building in Brighton.