Brighton & Hove City Council is starting building five new homes for rent on local authority land formerly used for parking that has been cleared in Ardingly Street, Kemp Town.
Councillor Anne Meadows, Chair of Housing and New Homes, inspected the piling work for the foundations of the new block, which is expected to be completed next summer.
This project is part of the council’s New Homes for Neighbourhoods programme of building much needed new homes on council owned land.
With over 22,000 households now on the Homemove register for council and housing association homes in the city, the council is aiming to build at least 500 new council homes, making best use of council housing land and assets to help meet the city’s housing needs.
Two new homes were completed in July and another six schemes are now on site across Brighton, Hove and Portslade, which will provide 77 new council homes for rent.
The council relocated the 13 licensees of the Ardingly Street car parking spaces, some of whom are from local businesses and the doctors’ surgery, to alternative car parking spaces nearby.
Cllr Anne Meadows, chair of the Housing and New Homes Committee, said:
“This is the sixth new housing scheme underway in the city and will provide five new affordable rented homes for people in the city.
“It’s extremely hard to find an affordable rented home in Brighton & Hove and we have over 22,000 people on our housing register waiting for a home.
“Five may not be many but the more in-fill that we use and get as many homes on formerly used land the better for everyone.
The new development obtained planning consent in April this year and started on site in late August. It will comprise three 1 bedroom flats, a two bedroom maisonette and a two bedroom flat on the ground floor specially designed for wheelchair users. The building will achieve high energy efficiency and sustainability standards, with solar panels to be installed on the roof. As well as the wheelchair accessible flat, the other flats will be built to Lifetime Homes Standard, with easy access and easily adaptable for tenants with mobility needs. All flats will be let through the Homemove choice based lettings system at affordable rents to residents in housing need.