Councillors have agreed to start the process that will lead to the demolition eight tower blocks – and said that people had already started to move out and into new homes.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet formally approved demolishing St James’ House, in Kemp Town, Nettleton Court and Dudeney Lodge, in Hollingdean, and five blocks at the top of Whitehawk.
The proposal was agreed in a meeting at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Thursday 19 March) when Labour councillor Gill Williams paid tribute to the residents for their co-operation throughout the process.
She said that officials had knocked on every door to speak to residents to make sure that people understood what was happening.
Councillor Williams, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “It really can’t be underestimated how distressing and worrying it is to be uprooted from your home because this is what is happening.
“Even though it’s unavoidable, we have to just get through it better. I’ve witnessed first-hand how the residents are dealing with this.
“There is much sadness – there really is – because people have been there for a couple of generations. It’s so sad but there is also so much resilience and fortitude. It’s actually quite humbling.”
Fellow Labour councillor Alan Robins asked members to note the effects of the move on older people.
Councillor Robins said: “It might be for some of them that they will never return. Somebody of my age … if I had to move out of my home for 10 years, I’d be 80 if I ever returned.
“I think it was William Blake who said at seed time we learn, harvest we teach and winter we enjoy, which is an analogy of life, suggesting as you get older you take things easier.
“It must be a terrible strain for people who’ve been there all that while.”
The eight blocks of flats were made from concrete and built with “large panel systems” (LPS) which have stood for more than 50 years but fall short of modern safety standards.
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.
A team of housing officials is currently being recruited to support hundreds of residents as they look for new homes.
The Labour leader of the council Bella Sankey said that she had attended community engagement events and heard residents’ mixed feelings.
Councillor Sankey said: “The sense of anxiety and uncertainty this situation brings is absolutely heard by us.
“We will continue as a council seeking to understand people’s concerns and to work with people to plan for the future.”
She said that the package being offered to the residents was a positive one.
People living in the blocks would be offered a home of the same size as the one that they had now, with the option to downsize should they wish.
All were being given the right to return to live in the replacement buildings once completed.
Leaseholders would have their flats bought back – and the council was running a pilot project to provide deposits for people using their “right to buy” option, with £400,000 allocated to cover 10 £40,000 grants.
The rehousing programme and proposed lease buybacks were expected to be covered by an existing budget of £7.5 million which was agreed last July.
The initial demolition orders are for seven years although Councillor Williams said that the process was expected to take five years.
