Work is expected to start in the spring on 3 new 3-bedroom council homes in Rotherfield Crescent in Hollingbury, following approval of the latest plans at the housing committee held on 16 November.
The Rotherfield Crescent homes are the latest development under our New Homes for Neighbourhoods building programme, providing much needed housing for families on the council’s housing register.
Plans for the site were drawn up following a design competition run by the council and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the new homes are designed to be highly sustainable.
Local residents have been involved in consultation about the development, which will be built on the site of former garages.
The project is one of a range of schemes under development or in the pipeline to provide much-needed new council homes across the city.
Sustainable homes for young people
Plans are being progressed to provide up to 30 council homes for rent on a council-owned former garage site in Eastergate Road, Moulsecoomb.
While the project is still in its early stages, the aim is to provide ‘transitional’ move-on housing for young people with low level support needs, bridging the gap between medium/high support housing and independent living.
Modular construction, where the flats are built off site, before being transported to site, is preferred. Using these Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) reduces the amount of embedded carbon, compared to a traditional build by up to 45%.
Sustainable technologies and materials will be built into the design specification, and it is intended that the scheme will include air source heat pumps and solar panels, as part of our commitment to cut carbon emissions.
Modular buildings are designed so they can be easily dismantled and re-used or recycled, in line with the council’s circular economy principles.
At the November meeting of the Housing Committee, councillors gave approval to progress the project to end of the pre-construction phase, to include design work and clearance of the site.
City centre flats
Work is due to start early in the new year on 4 new council homes in Frederick Street in the city centre.
The site was previously used for parking and will be transformed to provide 2 two-bedroom flats and 2 studio flats.
Victoria Road, Portslade
Families will start moving into a major development of 42 new council homes in Victoria Road, Portslade in the new year.
The development of one, 2 and 3 bedroom flats is one of the largest so far in our New Homes for Neighbourhoods building programme.
It is also our most sustainable new council housing scheme to date. The homes are designed to be highly energy efficient, helping residents to manage their energy bills and contributing to our drive to cut carbon emissions.
The development will be the first new council housing project in the city with a ground source heat pump system, which will provide heating and hot water. It also has solar panels and high levels of insulation.
‘Living’ walls will be planted on the exterior of the 2 blocks of flats and watered with recycle rainwater.
The homes are due to be completed in January and are being let to people on the council’s housing register.
Homes for Brighton & Hove
Construction is progressing well on 104 low cost homes in Wellington Road, Portslade and 242 in Coldean Lane, Coldean.
The flats are being developed by Homes for Brighton & Hove, a partnership of Brighton & Hove City Council and housing association the Hyde Group.
More than half of the new homes will be available as council homes on low rents, and the rest will be available to buy through a shared ownership scheme from Hyde.
The Wellington Road homes are due to be completed in the spring and the Coldean Lane homes in the summer.
Providing affordable homes
Councillor David Gibson, Co-Chair of the Housing Committee, said: “We’re proud to have one of the most ambitious programmes of building new council homes in the country, and we are making the most of council-owned sites around the city to provide extra housing.
“It will be great to see work starting on sites on Rotherfield Crescent and Frederick Street in 2023. It has taken a lot of work to get both projects to this stage and, although they are small scale developments, it all adds to the supply of affordable homes.
“Including homes bought back through our Home Purchase Policy, we’re on schedule to deliver 164 additional council homes this financial year. These include the Victoria Road development nearing completion, which will be our most sustainable new council housing scheme to date.
“We also have two Homes for Brighton & Hove developments due to deliver the bulk of 176 truly affordable rented council homes next year, and very exciting plans in the pipeline for more than 200 homes and a new community hub in Moulsecoomb.
“We’re also pleased to be progressing plans to use modular buildings to provide homes for young people in Eastergate Road, a low carbon scheme which also ties in with our circular economy principles.”
New homes for neighbourhoods
Read more about our New Homes for Neighbourhood programme building new council homes across the city.
If you're aware of any sites that could be a potential development opportunity for new council homes, please email estate.regeneration@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
