New Brighton council housing scheme takes shape

A topping out ceremony was held last week to celebrate progress made on the development of 42 new council homes in a suburb of Brighton and Hove.

A mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats are being built on the site between Portslade Town Hall, as part of Brighton & Hove Council’s plans to provide more low-cost housing in the city.

The Council is working with Morgan Sindall Construction on the new homes, which are due to be completed next autumn.

The development will be the first new council housing project in the city with a ground source heat pump system to provide heating and hot water for residents.

The homes will also benefit from other sustainability features, including a light gauge steel frame, solar panels and high levels of insulation.

Cllr David Gibson, Co-Chair of the Housing Committee, said: ‘This is a groundbreaking project – the homes have been designed to go further than previous projects towards the council’s carbon neutral targets for 2030, including the first ground source heat pumps achieved on a council housing scheme.

‘For the first time, we’re carrying out a full carbon assessment on this housing development and we’ll then be able to use the scheme as a benchmark to improve upon for our future council housing developments. When the flats are completed next year, the residents can look forward to low energy bills and high-quality homes.

‘As well as high sustainability standards, I am delighted that this innovative project provides a big boost of 42 additional affordable council homes – building on the 200 plus additional homes delivered in our first two years to help address the housing crisis facing low-income households in our city.’

The Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction’s Southern Home Counties business, Guy Hannell, added: ‘The topping out ceremony marked an exciting milestone in the Victoria Road project and it was a great opportunity to highlight the many benefits that this site will provide to the local area, both during its construction and once it’s complete. The high-quality, sustainable design of the Victoria Road development will ensure that the growing community will have contemporary, affordable housing for its residents.’

In related news, the first phase of The Guinness Partnership’s Points Cross housing scheme, which is now on site, will build over 300 new, affordable homes in the Leeds South Bank area.

Photo supplied by Brighton & Hove Council