Residents are moving into six newly completed council homes in Whitehawk.
The new flats at Robert Lodge in Manor Way were officially opened by Councillor Anne Meadows, chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Housing and New Homes Committee.
The homes are part of a programme of housing developments being built by the council – including nine more flats completed at Robert Lodge earlier this year, 57 under construction nearby at Kite Place, and 45 extra care flats nearing completion in Albion Street.
The New Homes for Neighbourhoods programme aims to build at least 500 new council homes on council land by 2020 to provide much needed affordable rented housing in the city.
The newly completed one and two bedroom flats at Robert Lodge are all being let to people on the council’s housing register.
Construction of the flats provided apprenticeship opportunities for young people, working with contractors on the site through the Local Employment Scheme.
Cllr Meadows said: "We are committed to building more affordable council homes for the city, like this scheme at Robert Lodge.
"It is great that people will be moving into the new flats in time for Christmas and many more council homes will be completed in the new year. We will also be starting work on more new housing developments during 2017."
Background information:
Opening of the new flats marks the completion of new developments at Robert Lodge.
There were previously 70 flats at Robert Lodge, before nine extra flats (Robert Lodge South) were completed in March and six more flats (Robert Lodge North) this month.
Residents already living in the existing flats were involved in the new developments and their feedback helped to shape features of the final design. This included improvements to the communal garden for new and existing residents, a new sculpture, mobility scooter and cycle storage, redirecting the footpath through the site and ending pavement parking, which blocked access for ambulances and refuse trucks.