A planning application to build 306 “affordable” homes has been submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The plans have been drawn up by Homes for Brighton and Hove, the partnership between Brighton and Hove City Council and the Hyde Group housing association.
The joint venture is looking to build the flats at the top end of Sackville Road on the old trading estate after buying the land from property firm Moda and financier Apache Capital.
Moda built 564 flats for rent on the southern part of the nine-acre site as part of a scheme branded Hove Central and reported to be worth about £160 million.
The council joint venture scheme with Hyde is expected to cost about £50 million overall, with the council funding 183 flats, to be let for a “social rent”. Hyde is expected to market 123 homes for shared ownership.
The northern part of the site, which covers about three acres, already has planning permission for a “care community” of 260 flats up to nine storeys high.
The scheme drawn up by Hyde and the council would build 306 low-cost homes in blocks of up to 10 or 11 storeys where Focus DIY, Vokins and Rayner Optical previously had premises.
The council said today (Friday 27 June): “The proposed building will be a similar size, height and design as the one originally given planning permission.
“The homes will be designed to meet the highest energy rating – EPC Band A – with high levels of insulation and solar PV panels, to reduce energy demand and costs for residents.
“There will also be new car club bays, electric vehicle charge points and extensive cycle parking. Proposals include landscaping and access to Hove Central’s new shops, cafés and offices.”
The planning application can be found at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/planning by searching for reference number BH2025/01414.
The consultation stage is open until Monday 14 July, with a decision expected in the autumn. And if approved, construction would be planned to start early next year.
The council added: “Homes for Brighton and Hove aims to build genuinely affordable homes, specifically for lower-income households in the city.
“Half are new council-rented homes to let to people on the city’s joint housing register. The rest of the homes are available to buy as shared ownership homes from Hyde.
“Sackville Road will be the partnership’s third scheme. Homes for Brighton and Hove was established in 2017 and has delivered 346 homes – 104 at Clarendon Place, Portslade, in 2023, and 242 at Denman Place, in Coldean, in 2024.”
Sarah Poulter, the regional development director for the south at Hyde, said: “It’s harder than ever for people who work in Brighton and Hove to afford to live in the city.
“So we’re delighted that we’re one step closer to nearly doubling the number of affordable homes delivered by our highly successful partnership.”
Labour councillor Gill Williams, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “With thousands of households on our waiting list, we desperately need more high-quality, genuinely affordable homes in the city.
“Homes for Brighton and Hove is a great example of partnership working and has already allowed us to deliver 346 affordable homes for people in the city.
“It’s really exciting to see another great scheme moving forward.”
Well I hope both the Council and Hyde will learn from the fiasco that’s happened with an identical two-tier housing development here in Coldean. They only provided parking spaces for half the units, and these are reserved for the shared ownership flats. The Council tenants were supposed to be ‘encouraged to use the bus service’, and were told that if they did bring a car, they must park on the surrounding roads. The result is chaos: antisocial parking, Coldean residents up in arms because they now can’t park outside their own houses, car dealing and drug dealing on Coldean streets, and even threats to ‘dig up’ the double yellow lines that the Council are now belatedly installing to try and deal with the problem!
Question. Do you think it is an inalienable right to be able to park directly outside your house? This is a situation that lots of people face, and is a product of living in a city. You also omitted that the shared ownership units are not eligible for permits, an important fact to balance against.
Coldean us hardly “living in a city”
Well, that’s just refusing to accept reality, I’m afraid.
Most houses in coldean have driven ways so what your saying is people can’t park their second cars lol
Anyone buying half a flat there needs their head examined
The new plans should include as the previous plan did dental and gp facilities. If all these new builds were fully occupied the current dentists and gps surgeries do not have the capacity to take on this many more.
Originally there was also supposed to be a care home. All this 2nd development funded by the sale/rent of the 1st half. Which hasn’t happened, many flats in the Moda development are still empty, as I guess are many in the other new developments.
Too many flats build some houses, give families their own gardens to bring their children up in so they can learn how grow flowers and fruit and veg and eat what they sow you csnt fo that in a flat and absolutely no chance of getting an allotment.!
Karen, that’s not quite right. Moda Hove Central isn’t “still empty” at all. Flats are being actively marketed and let, with listings live on Rightmove and Hamptons. Resident reviews on HomeViews describe it as well-managed and already occupied by a growing community. There’s no evidence of widespread vacancy. If anything, the pace of lettings suggests strong demand.
Still, a variety of home types is important, as I understand it, three bedrooms are quite important in high demand in Brighton.
Exactly most arent finished. Those that are are rented out. But don’t let the facts get in the way.
Actively being marketed does not equal “aren’t finished”, but don’t let semantics or reality get in the way.
Where those Flats in Coldean are is in the middle of know where-if you have to park in other Roads, it’s quite a walk back to where you live.
Should you need to “Pop out late’ still a mission to walk to your Car in those Dark Rds.
My Friend has a New Flat in Whitehawk and BHCC gave those in the Block a Year Free Bus Travel ( or the Beryl Bikes)
There is 38 Flats and 17 spaces in the Car park under neath-so guess they aswell have tho park in other Rds, they must be for certain Tenants.
With the Blocks being. Hilt and what’s there already that’s like 700-800 flats and not enough spaces so they will have to park elsewhere aswell.
If only we could all bribe the council enough to allow overdevelopment of any site not in keeping with any surrounding existing housing despite objections (eggs Portslade Panel Works) and now the Ben more high rise, ugly buildings only to fill the councils pockets – they should hang heads in shame !
Why not actually develop previously planned buildings works such as toad valley rather than kill the whole essence of Hove for nothing more than greed.
Disgusting !
Isn’t Portslade Panel Works going into Flats-or has that been declined now
There also Flats behind Pets at Home where the Peugeot Garage used to be, this area is going to be High Rise flats everywhere, no room for 3/4 Bed Houses anymore within the City.
I know Moulsecoomb is getting 200 Homes, and more to be built in Whitehawk if it goes ahead ( not sure if Flats or Houses)
I hate to say it but there are to many People in 3/4 Bed Houses that don’t want to Downsize-and they live in the Houses alone, yet even with money insentive they still don’t want to move, Council can’t force them either, but I think if you sign new tenancies now I think that’s in there to do.
I’m in a 4 bed right now, and when I need to I will be downsizing to give a family a chance etc, no point in rattling around a house that’s to big for 1 person.
Sackvil Road is already congested
What will happen when all these flats are occupied
Nothing, most likely.
Too many people in B&H already! Build on the outskirts, not in the centre. You greedy bunch are destroying it!
Problem with the outskirts is a lot of it is protected, farmland or the sea. Then you run into city boundaries. I do think we need more scope, but that’s a potential a version of devolution may bring.