A safety regulator could delay the council’s plans for a £100 million flagship “affordable” housing scheme in Hove by more than a year, senior councillors have been told.
Green councillor Ollie Sykes asked about the hold up as Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet prepared to approved £2.6 million extra funding for the scheme.
Councillor Sykes said that the delay, which could extend to a year and a half, was “lamentable” and would push up the cost of building 306 flats at the top of Sackville Road with the housing association Hyde.
A report to the council’s cabinet said: “In the process of negotiating the construction contract, Hyde has recently identified a significant risk linked to the Building Safety Regulator.”
The regulator, set up after the Grenfell Tower fire that claimed 72 lives eight years ago, is required to approve the scheme because blocks of up to 10 storeys high are deemed high risk.
The cabinet report said: “This approval is to be sought by the contractor who should be ready to submit in late spring.
“While the statutory approval period is 16 weeks, current submissions are taking between 40 and 50 weeks and could extend up to 80 weeks.
“Due to construction inflation, each week of delay adds significantly to the build cost, with a very significant impact if the full 80-week duration is realised.”
The cost has also gone up because the council has included more family homes and larger windows in response to feedback.
Labour councillor Gill Williams, the council’s cabinet member for housing, shared Councillor Sykes’s concerns and said that the council was trying to ensure that all steps were taken to prevent any “unnecessary” delays in the process.
She welcomed measures being taken by the government to tackle the backlog at the Building Safety Regulator including a change in leadership, more staff being taken on and faster processes.
The council was also working closely with East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that all council-owned high-rise blocks were safe, Councillor Williams said.
She added that the scheme, on the old Sackville Trading Estate site, next to the new Moda flats, was a “flagship development” bringing 306 homes.
The council plans to let 183 of the flats for a “social rent”, including 15 homes that would be suitable for people with disabilities. Hyde plans to offer shared ownership of the other 123 flats.
Councillor Williams said: “This is really important for the needs of our city. It does reflect our commitment to truly affordable housing, placemaking and inclusive growth, transforming a key site into a vibrant and sustainable community.”
The council and Hyde are working together on the project through their joint venture, Homes for Brighton and Hove, and planning permission has been granted for the scheme.
Councillor Williams added: “I know it’s been raised about the overall budget increase by £2.6 million. However, the reasons why this has increased is because we’ve increased the number of three and four-bedroom homes because we know we need them.
“Everybody’s mailbag is full of people desperately asking us for these homes.
“We’ve increased the window size in some of the homes because it enhances the quality of life of the inhabitants.
“And this is really important, we’re also introducing play and good growing areas because this isn’t just a place to live. It’s a place to thrive.”
Just about sums up the circus, one Government agency getting in the way of another Government agency and all of them ” just doing their job” staffing should have been taken care of years ago when the Grenfell issue arrived,
Good that you know 3/4 Bedrooms are desperately needed.
I mean at first there was only 3/4 of each going in-now, guess you know more are needed which is good
But even if it’s increased by 2.6 million, proberly go up another Million in the delayed Yr it’s taking.
The £2.6m takes the delay into account – see the report to Cabinet earlier in the month,
Hope affordable
Tories and reform probably blocking as affordable
Is anyone able to confidently define “affordable”?
According to the article, two kinds of affordable:
1) 183 of the flats for a “social rent” (typically defined as 30% market rate), including 15 homes that would be suitable for people with disabilities.
2) Hyde plans to offer shared ownership of the other 123 flats.
Some Con Councillors have indeed criticised this, yes. Fortunately, we have no Reform councillors, so their opinion is irrelevant.