Formal “initial demolition notices” are due to be served on people living in eight condemned tower blocks in Brighton.
The eight blocks of flats were made from concrete and built with “large panel systems” which have fallen short of modern safety standards.
The concerns came to light as a result of safety checks carried out after 72 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire, in London, in 2017.
The flats are St James’ House, in Kemp Town, Nettleton Court and Dudeney Lodge, in Hollingdean, and five blocks at the top of Whitehawk. They are all earmarked for demolition and redevelopment.
Those who will have to move out of the eight tower blocks are generally happy with the approach taken so far by Brighton and Hove City Council, according to tenants’ representatives.
Reps made supportive comments in a series of council housing management panel meetings held this month.
At the central area meeting yesterday (Tuesday 17 March), Essex Point resident rep Emma Salcombe said that one couple had felt supported when they moved to seniors housing from a Whitehawk block.
They had lived in their block for decades and raised their family there but were feeling positive about the activities offered in the seniors block.
Miss Salcombe said: “I asked them about the experience and the understanding they’d had from the housing officer, particularly with the attachment they had to their home where they had brought their kids up.
“They said the council officer told them: ‘If you want to turn around and take the door frame and cut it from the part where you measured your kids, we’ll do that for you.’
“It’s stuff like that that is good – and you (the council) are working really well.”
Miss Salcombe grew up in north Whitehawk and asked for the replacement scheme to include a reference to Bill Swallow. She said that Swallow Court was named after him because he used to maintain the blocks.
In the north area, Hollingdean Residents’ Association representative Ian Beck said that people in Nettleton Court and Dudeney Lodge had been talking to him about the process.
He said: “I can’t fault the way the council has handled this situation. It’s a situation no one expected to arise.
“This came about as a result of a change in the law and local councils are expected to pick it up.
“The two blocks in our area … I’ve had no complaints about not being informed about this and I can only assume this is because the council is doing a good job.”
The council’s head of tenancy services, Justine Harris, said that the council had been doing a lot of work to support residents with help moving and a dedicated housing officer.
She said: “It means for some residents they’re going to be losing their homes and maybe they don’t want to.
“We’ve got many people that have lived in these blocks, across the north Whitehawk blocks we’ve got generations, people who have lived there all their lives in St James’ House.
“They’ve built strong communities. They’ve raised their families there. So we are really connected to supporting every household.”
People moving out of the blocks would be offered a property with the same number of bedrooms that they currently had although Ms Harris said that some people would want to downsize.
She assured residents that the blocks were still safe to live in and that the council would continue maintaining them.
The council is currently recruiting someone to support residents with rehousing, starting with St James’ House next month.
Resident drop-in sessions have increased in frequency to weekly, alternating fortnightly between morning and evening sessions.
While the buildings are considered safe, various items are banned – such as gas canisters, barbecues, e-bikes and e-scooters – because of the risk of the block collapsing if there is a fire or high-pressure explosion.
The council has kept a “waking watch” at some of the blocks for fire safety reasons – although building safety checks found that the Brighton blocks were structurally sound.
Today (Thursday 19 March) the council’s cabinet is expected to authorise the “initial demolition notices” for the eight blocks in a meeting at Hove Town Hall.
Yeah it’s time, I lived there once in kestrel and one of the smaller blocks behind which was private, loved the tower blocks, views were amazing, for two bedroom flats the rooms were really large, but the room shapes were a little unusual and kitchens were too small for my liking.
But if I remember rightly heating costs were included in rents, not sure if that changed.
But yes in recent years they have truely gone into worse disrepair, and well the cracks are reported widely so they do need to come down, they had there day and know loads who were happy there.
But more 3 & 4 bed homes are needed, so I image any replacement will take this into account hopefully.
I do think people need more positive things I know loads will be decanted but actually it’s time to start the ball rolling very soon on really inclusive talks as have been happening around if residents were not so against demolition, I mean the very first meeting loads attended and it was very well recieved.
A lot of thoughts for the older residents, those who have lived here for decades, it’s a big change.
So glad tenancy services I think the best department in housing, are doing such a great job there enaging with permenant tenants and within there remit, the packages look good, but need more detail on rent guarantees for returners.
Obviously temporary accomodation in these blocks now, have been in place since seaside community homes. Two flats, exactly the same, one is socials the other is capped at LHA and temporary accomodation, nowadays that’s a benefit trap for most. Quite sad really.
Many of these tenants who have been there years also, feel a little not being spoken to about their futures as perm housing tenants are prioritised.
Already hearing reports of issues at the birdblocks earlier and my only worry is the say a slow decant, but we all know that will dip into the claimed savings, there is a huge financial gain from quickly replacing out the homes / voids make them, say temporary accomodation and charge higher rents, it’s a win win really, taking seaside community homes on without the mortgage and interest payments. In an old building, replacing out the private providers.
On paper this is all great and I’ve been calling for in-house temporary for years, but I do think locals in the communities where will will be significant changes need to be consulted too, but not just this if more and more of those perm homes are used to help save the Council money, I am watching carefully as lots of the money is changing, it’s just amazing how suddenly £5m can be added to the swanborough drive new flats, they were in Brighton and hove news approved for £10m, now it’s £15m. That’s a big increase.
The council seriously need to have words with themselves the math is still it adding up, I mean we have no ideas what could be around the corner, we just don’t know, what I do know is things don’t seem to be getting better or easier, this will mean more homelessness, for sure hidden homelessness.
We have a catastrophic crisis here a little relief might becoming but it’s still not looking good. An ever more dived country and global instability, I just hope that this city can firstly not make its self poorer by selling of assets for essentially freehold being 250 lease. When they can be repurposed to increase supply, drive in revenue and new homes, make the city better, less instability, more homes more competition, lower rents for renters, better rights. But most importantly to grapple and replace out the private sector.
The council need to be honest once the flats go boom and so many by then will be converted to temporary accommodation, when the dynamite blows those temporary accomodation homes disappear without replacement, and without replacement the private sector continue to extract public wealth.
This is potentially a defining moment for this city, if this is messed up I will be so angry. Been doing this ten years, and it’s so important to get this right. So it’s mass building and repurposing prior to demolition and keeping assets not selling em off for things the city don’t need. We don’t need anymore holiday homes, brightons market is already saturated with 6700 active listing.
Now really is the time for some social vision not, true savings in temporary accommodation block bookings. Not manufactured outright lies.
Perhaps a lot of good can come out of this, certain departments need to up their games, they just don’t seem to have the same heart as others in Brighton Housing.
Testament to feedback and service scores. Well done Tennacy Services team and Director running this project
I live in St.james house, and our experience seems to differ from the other blocks. Issues here have got worse since the decision was made. It’s my personal view, that the purposed time frame is unrealistic, in regards to re housing. There’s 123 flats in St james house , 121 2 beds , one 1 bed and one 3 bed , some weeks homemove only has one or two , two bed places. And where are all the temporary tenants going to be moved too ?
I think it’s unrealistic also, Rachael would love to connect with you. I am trying my hardest to best to hold the council to account for actual practical mitigation here which is why I am lobbying them to repurpose council assets viable for redevelopment. They should not be selling them of when this is a severe need.
Almost off the tower blocks due for demolition are two bedroom flat, I don’t think the public are aware of this.
It’s going to be a massive task. lets connect Email me: daniel@housingcoalition.co.uk
This is not an unexpected turn of events. These blocks had an estimated lifespan when they were developed. They have done their job remarkably well given the circumstances. The Grenfell Tower event was 9 years ago. Successive administrations have just kicked the can down the road as it was too onerous to consider. When they are replaced, I hope that the highest of standards are applied in order we are not revisiting this issue in 20 years time.
There are estimated to be between 2000 and 4000 AirB&B properties in the City. The Council should requisition as many as necessary to house not only those displaced by the demolitions but other people in temporary accommodation. Desperate times require desperate measures.
Where are all these residents going to go when there is already a shortage of temporary and council housing? Could they go into the new Gasworks development temporarily if that is built first?
Modern standards are clearly very poor if these blocks have lasted such a short period of time. Can the replacements be built to last up to 100 years so this doesn’t happen again?
That’s a private venture, so unfortunately, no. Gasworks will serve very little benefit to Brighton. These high-rises aren’t modern standards; they were erected post-war, so they were pretty much towards the tail end of their life. It’s why retrofitting was deemed to be a poor investment when it was considered last year.
But yes, I think it’s obvious that the new builds will be aimed at being as long-lasting as possible.
Contact your labour Coucillors and MP, as gasworks developer appeal was accepted by national labour government, I think Angela Rayner actually, which is shocking as she moved here.