Work has started on turning an old office building into flats in the centre of Brighton.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Work is getting under way to transform a former office building to provide 11 new council homes in the city centre.
“The building at Palace Place, in the Old Steine, will be converted into 11 one-bedroom apartments, providing temporary homes for people in housing need.
“Work started on the site in early January and the new accommodation is due to be ready for residents by the end of the year.
“The Palace Place building was originally a residential property and later used as offices.
“It is being given a new lease of life as part of the council’s Hidden Homes project, which transforms empty or ‘hidden’ spaces in council-owned buildings into good-quality, comfortable and sustainable new council homes.
“The Palace Place homes are designed to be energy efficient, to help reduce energy bills for residents, and will include a wheelchair-accessible apartment.
“The apartments will be managed by the council and used to provide temporary housing for people until a permanent home becomes available.
“The development is one of a number of projects funded following three 3 successful bids to the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund to increase the stock of temporary accommodation in the city.”
Labour councillor Gill Williams, the council’s cabinet member for housing and new homes, said: “We’re taking a range of measures to increase the supply of housing in the city – and the project at Palace Place will deliver much-needed additional temporary homes.
“Providing more temporary accommodation which we own and manage ourselves helps to reduce the need to house people in privately owned accommodation.
“We look forward to seeing these new apartments taking shape and welcoming the first residents when they are completed.”
The council added: “The Palace Place project is part of a package of measures to provide more council homes across the city.
“We’re building more homes through our New Homes for Neighbourhoods programme.
Homes for Brighton and Hove, a partnership between the council and affordable housing provider Hyde, has delivered 346 low-cost homes, including 176 council-rented homes.
“We are also buying back council homes, lost under the ‘right to buy’ scheme, through our Home Purchase Policy.”
Crazy. So instead of buying double the number of homes in a cheaper part of town the council chooses to put them here. No doubt it will look like a tatty dump in 12 months and be at the entrance to Brighton tourism.
IIRC Project is costing around £ 3m so £ 272k per flat.
Not sure where you can buy a flat for £136k anywhere in the city.
Its council property, they are not buying anything
Yes clearly not the brains of Britain working in the council, I imagine old sheets for curtains next for to the Pavilion. I imagine the Royal Albion will be turned into a flop house next.
Maybe more offices should move into the empty shops in the city to free up accommodation in the beautiful Victorian and Georgian houses we have here. I have never understood how offices occupy such amazing buildings.
This entire building should be a hotel. Perfect location.
Sell it
Build double the amount of cheaper bigger flats along the Lewes road
Not sure a hotel there would make much money to cover its costs. It wouldn’t have many rooms and an almost 0 chance of getting planning permission to extend it.
Though the building next to it (that had the RBS at street level) might make it more viable.
But given the council are now spending money on it selling it isn’t really an option now is it?
Well obviously it would need to be part of the empty building next door to be a hotel… The location of that property, it’s worth millions to a boutique hotel chain like moxy or something similar. We actually have a lack of hotel space in the summer so why wouldn’t it be viable?
Agreed. I wonder if this was off the back of the city survey they recently did to highlight potential sites for development?
This has been in the works since 2021
In 2017 it was going to be leased to the NHS and used a GP surgery.
https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?Id=3831
And then in 2019 the NHS pulled out.
Then the housing plan emerged and that was approved in principle in 2021 and gained planning permission in November 2022.
Oh yeah, Ardingly Court was looking at expanding a few years back, that’s jogged my memory.
Good news. So many empty properties above shops and businesses could be converted into flats, making use of existing infrastucture and saving green and public spaces. Far cheaper than building shoddy newbuilds too.
Agreed. I wonder if this was off the back of the city survey they recently did to highlight potential sites for development?
Waste of money, should have sold it and used the money to invest in double the amount of apartments in another part of the city. Old Steine has enough issues with anti-social behaviour. Gifting homeless people with Royal Pavilion views – beyond stupid. Utterly idiotic to the point of having a heart attack. Fix up other properties in residential areas, enough temporary housing on Old Steine and this one is next to a 24 hour off licence. Go figure!
You might be interested in reading about the upcoming referendum happening in Brighton Marina next month. Quite a substantial increase in housing stock and school space to name a few.
Incredible, just as it’s reported in another article today that the council face a 6000 job backlog of maintenance jobs on their properties and…
“ Five months after Brighton and Hove City Council’s housing department was found to have serious failings, councillors are to receive an update on progress.
The council pledged to spend £15 million to tackle the failings after the damning report from the Regulator of Social Housing in the summer.”
This is proof enough that the council cannot operate a residential property portfolio efficiently and a very large example of your council tax money being poured down the drain.