The rise in the number of purpose-built student flats is starting to ease the pressure on family homes in Brighton and Hove, according to the council’s housing boss.
Several blocks of student flats have been built in the Lewes Road area and this apeeared to be reducing demand for shared houses.
It was only anecdotal evidence, but encouraging, according to Pinaki Ghoshal, Brighton and Hove City Council’s interim executive director for housing, neighbourhoods and communities.
Mr Ghoshal said: “There is a lot of work going on with the universities. They have been doing a lot of building recently in terms of accommodation for students.
“We have noticed anecdotally that the pressure on HMOs (houses in mutliple occupation) is reducing. We think the additional student accommodation is absorbing some of those.
“That’s really good for in terms of the city having more accommodation available.”
Mr Ghoshal was speaking to the council’s Audit and Standards Committee at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Tuesday 10 March) about housing supply and the lack of affordable homes.
He said: “It is a significant risk in the city in terms of housing demand and the cost of housing. There are real issues with affordable housing across Brighton and Hove.
“We know there are a number of residents on the council house waiting list. It’s a long list and is likely to remain so for a long period of time.”
The risk report before the committee said that demand for housing continued to increase and to outstrip new supply, making accommodation “less affordable”.
Demand for affordable rented homes was growing and there was a particular shortage of homes that essential workers and people on low incomes could afford.
