Southwick: New council homes get go-ahead after delays

An extra £1.7m is being invested in developing 49 new West Sussex council homes following delays.

A new contractor, Cheesmur Building Contractors, has been appointed after construction on the Southwick development was delayed.

The move by Adur District Council comes after the previous developer, Westridge Construction, went insolvent last year.

The funds will come from the council's Hidden Homes budget, set aside to reduce housing demand in Adur.

Of the cash, £998,000 will be claimed back through an insolvency bond as a form of insurance against the collapse of Westridge Construction.

Concern was raised by opposition members about whether or not the development in Albion Street would go ahead as it was partially reliant on a time-sensitive £2.4million Homes England grant.

A report to the cabinet said Homes England had reviewed the development and would be carrying over its grant into 2024-25.

The council's cabinet member for Adur Homes and customer services, Carson Albury, said the development was "still viable" and the tenants were the "most important thing" in the scheme.

"The main thing is we have to get this building up and running as quickly as possible - we've got 49 flats there that our tenants are waiting for," he said.

He added that another development at Mash Barn, Lancing, numbering about 400 new homes, and another in Sompting would help further increase housing supply in Adur.

According to the cabinet report, the total budget for the development was about £12.1million, with only £942,000 left before the agreed increase in funding.

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