Issue - items at meetings - Stimulating New House Building in Brighton & Hove

Report of the Executive Director Environment, Development & Housing

Contact Officer: Martin Reid                       Tel: 01273 293321

23.1    RESOLVED

That Housing Committee:

(1) Note the response to Notice of Motion, Stimulating New House Building in Brighton & Hove;

(2) Note the progress made in the Estate Regeneration programme.

23.1    The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director Environment Development and Housing on Stimulating News House Building in Brighton and Hove. The report was presented by Mr M Reid, Head of Housing Strategy. The report was written in response to the Notice of Motion which was referred from the Council meeting held on 18 July 2013.

23.2         Councillor Farrow said he was concerned at the high level of rents and the comparatively low wages in the city, and whilst he accepted there was no answer to that he did want to register his concern. The Chair said that he agreed that the level of rents were too high in the city, and was concerned that the level of rents had increased so much over the last few years.

23.3          Councillor Farrow referred to the reduction in the level of affordable housing which developers now had to provide, and was concerned at how that would impact on new house builds. Councillor Kennedy agreed, and said that due to changes in national legislation developers could now argue that it wasn’t viable to have a 40% element of affordable housing in new builds.

23.4         Councillor Mears was concerned that a lot of money had been spent on the process of building new homes, but few properties built and only 534 new homes projected to be constructed under the Affordable Housing Programme in the next two years.

23.5         Councillor Peltzer Dunn thanked officers for the response to the Notice of Motion, and for the information on the work being undertaken. He accepted that things took time, but was concerned on the lack of progress on the development of the old Gala Bingo site in Portland Road and the various garage sites.  

23.6    RESOLVED:

That Housing Committee:

(1) Note the response to Notice of Motion, Stimulating New House Building in Brighton & Hove;

(2) Note the progress made in the Estate Regeneration programme.