Tackling housing crisis with 1,000 affordable homes in joint venture

A partnership between a housing association and the city council to deliver 1,000 affordable homes over five years looks set to go ahead, after councillors gave the scheme the thumbs up this week.
Brighton and HoveBrighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove

Hyde is teaming up with the council on the Living Wage Joint Venture project, which will deliver half the homes at ‘Living Rent’ prices and the other half will be for shared ownership.

The housing and new homes committee approved the business plan at a special meeting on Monday, and councillors also agreed the first sites to look at for potential development: Clarendon Place in Portslade, Coldean Lane, and north west of Whitehawk.

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The project comes at a milestone for Hyde, which celebrates 50 years since it took on its first home.

Tom Shaw, HydeTom Shaw, Hyde
Tom Shaw, Hyde

Tom Shaw, Hyde development director (south), explained why the project was so important.

He said: “Brighton is one of the least affordable cities outside of London in the UK.

“As a stakeholder in the city we are keen to do what we can to do our share in providing affordable homes and helping to tackle the quality of housing.

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“We are playing our part in the city to do what we can to provide our share of homes.”

Cllr Anne MeadowsCllr Anne Meadows
Cllr Anne Meadows

Explaining the 50/50 split between affordable rent and shared ownership properties, Mr Shaw said: “If you’re working in the city on a low income, struggling to afford rent, the home would be available to someone on living wage.

“These 500 properties would be cheapest rents in the city.

“The other half is shared ownership. It is cheaper or comparable to the cost of private renting. You get the benefit of home ownership without having to afford 100 per cent of it.

“The deposit is probably less than £10,000. In Brighton it is £50,000 or £60,000 for a one bed.

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“For those who do not have the bank of mum and dad behind them, shared ownership provides an opportunity to get on the housing ladder.”

He said in a city with more than 21,000 households on the social housing list ‘something needs to happen’.

Mr Shaw said he hoped the first three under consideration could provide the first 300 to 400 homes, with planning applications submitted by next year.

The hope is that 1,000 homes could be delivered across the city in five years.

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The project is set to cost £119.3 million, with Hyde and Brighton and Hove City Council splitting the costs.

On why Hyde is investing in the area, Mr Shaw said: “Brighton is an important area for us. We own and manage about 1,300 homes.

“We are probably now one of the biggest landlords in the city after the council for social housing.”

Councillor Anne Meadows, chair of the housing and new homes Committee, said: “Building affordable rented new homes for local people is a key priority and this is a major step forward.

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“There is a huge demand for housing in the city and with the supply of low cost rented homes not keeping pace with demand, we’re having to look at innovative solutions to build much-needed new homes.

“Alongside our New Homes for Neighbourhoods programme building new council housing, the joint venture will deliver decent and genuinely affordable homes for local residents and create a significant number of jobs and apprenticeships.

“This is the biggest commitment to affordable housing in the city for a generation and it’s taken a lot of work to make sure the venture’s business and financial models are robust. Once the foundations are in place and agreed, we can start looking at potential sites to build the 1,000 new homes.”

Proposals to set up a partnership with Hyde Housing were agreed last year and work has since been underway to put together the business plan and identify priority sites for development.

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The decision will now go to the policy, resources and growth committee on October 12 for final approval to proceed.

A short history of Hyde in Brighton and Hove

Hyde was founded in 1967, after a BBC drama Cathy Come Home highlighted how low income families were living in poor housing conditions.

It took on its first home in London by 1968, housing 253 families by 1970.

But it wasn’t until the late nineties that it moved into Brighton, by which time it was one of the largest housing associations in the country.

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Mr Shaw said Hyde came to Brighton through a housing association called the Chichester Diocesan Housing Association (CDHA).

CDHA deferred its agreements to Hyde in 2006, with the housing association taking on between 400 to 500 homes in Brighton and Hove.

Over the last decade that figure had more than doubled.

As well as the pledge to deliver and manage 1,000 homes under the joint venture, Hyde also has homes in development at Anston House, New Town Road, Hove and Davigdor Road, Hove.

To find out more, visit: www.hyde-housing.co.uk