A committee of Brighton and Hove councillors have unanimously voted through the biggest housing scheme for a generation.
The £100 million scheme is a joint venture with housing association Hyde and is intended to deliver at least 1,000 affordable homes.
Work will continue to ensure that they are within financial reach of working people who may be earning just a living wage and who would struggle to rent or buy homes currently termed affordable.
The joint venture has taken months to agree, including two marathon meetings of the Brighton and Hove City Council Housing and New Homes Committee.
The deal was finally agreed this evening (Thursday 8 December) at the council’s Policy, Resources and Growth Committee at Hove Town Hall.
The council and Hyde will invest more than £50 million each.
Council leader Warren Morgan, who also chairs the Policy, Resources and Growth Committee, said: “Today Brighton and Hove City Council decided to build over a thousand new and truly affordable homes for people in Brighton and Hove who need them, in partnership with Hyde Housing.
“This is the biggest commitment on housing in the city for a generation.
“We are delighted the ‘Living Wage Joint Venture’ proposal has been accepted by Policy, Resources and Growth Committee.
“It is good news for the city’s residents struggling to find affordable homes to rent or buy. The proposal will deliver decent and genuinely affordable homes for local residents and create a significant number of jobs and apprenticeships. All parties agree that there is a significant and pressing need for genuinely affordable homes for local people in this city.”
Hyde development director Tom Shaw said: “We are delighted that after nearly a year of detailed discussions the joint venture has been approved with unanimous cross party support.
“This innovative project will make living and owning a decent home a reality for hundreds of Brighton and Hove residents earning the national living wage.
“The hard work of delivering the joint venture begins now.”
Any idea where they are thinking of putting them?
‘Affordable Rent’ might sound great but it’s a bit of a miss leading term, put simply it only means 20% off market value.
‘Living wage’ might sound great but it’s only 17000, not enough to live off in Brighton due to the high rents, even at 20% off.
Orwell would be have a thing or two to say about the double speak.
Still a bold step towards the right thing by bhcc, just a shame it’s not social rent and housing the baby boomers had, which was 40%-50% percent off.
Affordable rents?
Great reportIng once again Mr Le Duc. True pro.
Pleased for Tom and his team. They have worked hard for this.
Would like to know what they are terming ‘affordable’. Previously schemes flagged as offering affordable housing have been too expensive for the average family. Additionally, with the impending change to how much housing benefit can be claimed our most vulnerable families will struggle.
That’s the point of the joint venture – rents linked to incomes. It’s a common sense approach to rental and great that it’s happening here. Bring it on!
How many brown sites located in Brighton will be used or are they targeting the green belt sanctuary and the lungs of Brighton?
Affordable is normally 20% off. Which is to much for people on the living wage