Money from developers has funded millions of pounds of homes to be let at reduced rents, councillors were told this week.
The money, known as developer contributions, also went towards the cost of supporting local jobs, revamping children’s playgrounds and school costs.
In all, Brighton and Hove City Council allocated almost £10 million to the various projects, of which it spent £4.5 million, including £1.56 million for “affordable” homes in Victoria Road, Portslade.
The council also spent £924,000 of the money on buying property to be let for reduced rents and £636,000 on a city-wide programme of playground refurbishments.
Among the playground revamps to receive funding were those in Hollingdean Park, Knoll Park, Queen’s Park, Rottingdean Recreation Park, Saltdean Oval and Woollard’s Field, also known as Maggie’s Corner. Other projects to receive funding included one at Whitehawk Hill North as well as the Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project.
The details were shared in a report to the council’s Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Development Committee at Hove Town Hall on Thursday (9 November).
The two sources of developer contributions are known as “community infrastructure levy” (CIL) and section 106 payments – agreed under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Developer contributions are intended to offset the effect of new building schemes such as housing and offices on the local infrastructure such as roads, schools and open spaces.
And developers planning to build bigger housing schemes are expected to provide some of those homes for sale or rent at affordable rates – or a “commuted sum” to provide affordable homes elsewhere.
The council entered into 13 planning agreements in the past financial year which are expected to lead to the building of 359 affordable homes for rent or shared ownership.
The affordable housing contributions are not captured in the financial totals but a report to councillors said that at the start of April last year the council had £23.6 million in section 106 contributions to spend.
The council spent £4.5 million during the 2022-23 financial year and received a further £3.6 million in section 106 payments, leaving a balance at the end of March of £22.7 million.
The biggest contributions came from three projects, including almost £1.5 million for affordable housing from 87 Preston Road, Brighton, formerly part of City College, now the Greater Brighton Metropolitan College.
The housing schemes on the old KAP car showroom site, in Newtown Road, Hove, and Anston House, in Preston Road, Brighton, generated more than £700,000 each.
The money from those two schemes was allocated for sustainable transport, education and recreation, with some of the Newtown Road money also used to support local jobs.
The amount of section 106 money received by the council in 2022-23 fell from £5 million in the previous year to £3.6 million.
But not nearly as much as all the Govt-stipulated 40% affordable housing provision developers are buying their way out of in each development presumably?
Why don’t they build a couple of new streets in moulscoomb and bevingdean