New homes replace disused care home in St Leonards

New homes have been delivered in St Leonards, thanks to a partnership between Hastings Borough Council and housing association Optivo.
By Richard Gladstone
Published 5th Feb 2020, 15:37 BST
Updated 6th Feb 2020, 15:58 BST
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A disused care home, Leolyn House, in Pevensey Road, had stood empty for two years, but the building has now been regenerated.

It has been converted into 16 modern apartments as part of the Coastal Space project.

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The project turns empty, run-down and derelict properties into affordable homes.

From bottom left, Cllr Ruby Cox, Jane Hartnell, director of corporate services and governance, Alan Sheppard, housing options manager, Cllr Andy Batsford. Middle row, Cllr Trevor Webb, Bunmi Atta, director of construction, Angela Prickett, director of neighbourhoods, Andrew Palmer, assistant director of housing and built environment, Jason Wilde, project manager at Westridge, Vanessa Biddiss, head of region, Sussex, and Troy Francis, director of operations SUS-200502-152804001From bottom left, Cllr Ruby Cox, Jane Hartnell, director of corporate services and governance, Alan Sheppard, housing options manager, Cllr Andy Batsford. Middle row, Cllr Trevor Webb, Bunmi Atta, director of construction, Angela Prickett, director of neighbourhoods, Andrew Palmer, assistant director of housing and built environment, Jason Wilde, project manager at Westridge, Vanessa Biddiss, head of region, Sussex, and Troy Francis, director of operations SUS-200502-152804001
From bottom left, Cllr Ruby Cox, Jane Hartnell, director of corporate services and governance, Alan Sheppard, housing options manager, Cllr Andy Batsford. Middle row, Cllr Trevor Webb, Bunmi Atta, director of construction, Angela Prickett, director of neighbourhoods, Andrew Palmer, assistant director of housing and built environment, Jason Wilde, project manager at Westridge, Vanessa Biddiss, head of region, Sussex, and Troy Francis, director of operations SUS-200502-152804001

The latest milestone was officially celebrated on Friday (January 31) at Leolyn House.

Andy Batsford, lead councillor for housing at Hastings Borough Council, said: “Building homes that are of high quality and truly affordable is one of the council’s top priorities.

“Returning this empty property into use has been a massive achievement and a great example of positive partnership work and bold investment.

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“A building like this is not cheap or easy to bring back to life, but in this moment of housing crisis for our local families we must show strong leadership in our community.”

Tanya Vines, development manager at Optivo, said: “We’re extremely proud to have played our part in bringing this empty building back to life. We’ve enjoyed working with Hastings Borough Council to deliver much-needed affordable homes for local people. We’re passionate about doing our bit to tackle the housing crisis.”

Funding from Hastings Borough Council, Homes England and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership enabled Optivo to renovate Leolyn House.

Coastal Space has transformed 80 homes across various sites in St Leonards since 2013, including Winchester House, in Pevensey Road, and the site of St Mary’s Nursing home, in Carisbrooke Road.

Related topics:Hastings Borough CouncilSt Leonards