£7.6m to help more people in Sussex find affordable homes

On Wednesday, November 4, members of the authority visited Silvertide Point in Shoreham – development by Hyde Housing Association where all 159 homes are affordable.

The development has been built on the former Adur Civic Centre site in Ham Road, with 53 homes available for social rent and 106 for shared ownership.

The visit came as the authority set out plans for its first strategic investment, a Housing Investment Programme aimed at helping more people across Sussex find affordable homes.

The proposed £7.6million programme would support projects that speed up the building of new homes, unlock sites that have stalled and remove barriers holding back development.

The authority’s board is due to consider the investment plan at a meeting on Wednesday, November 11. If the scheme is approved, funding will be committed to projects by March 31, 2027.

Adur District Council leader Jeremy Gardner said: “We were proud to welcome the Board to Silvertide Point. It is a great example of what affordable housing can look like, with high-quality homes close to the town centre, the beach and good transport links.

“Schemes like this mean local people can stay in Adur, close to their families, their jobs and their children’s schools. We look forward to working with the strategic authority in the future, to make the case for more projects like this.”

Councillor Bella Sankey, chair and housing lead for the strategic authority and leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “Homes are about so much more than bricks and mortar. A home you can afford is what lets you take the job you want, keep your children at the school they know, stay close to family and friends, and get around easily to the places that matter to you.

“Right now, too many people across Sussex are being priced out of the places they call home.

“The Housing Investment Programme is the Strategic Authority’s first investment decision and demonstrates how important housing supply is to the region. Silvertide Point shows what is possible when councils and housing providers partner to improve the supply of high quality, affordable housing.

“This is just the start and we look forward to investing in more homes like these, learning from our first programme so we can invest at a far greater scale in future.”

Councillor Jay Mercer, co-vice chair of the Strategic Authority and leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “In some of Sussex’s most popular places, including Brighton & Hove and Chichester, demand for homes has pushed prices far beyond what many local people can pay.

“Young people are moving away from the communities they grew up in, families are struggling to find room to grow, and businesses are finding it harder to recruit the people they need.

“This programme is a first step, but an important one. It shows what we can deliver together and builds the track record we need to secure more investment for Sussex.”

Councillor Andy Woolley, co-vice chair of the strategic authority and leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “Behind each of the housing opportunities put forward are real people – young people hoping to stay in the towns they grew up in, families who need more space, and workers who want to live closer to their jobs.

“By working together through the Strategic Authority, we can target funding where it will make the biggest difference to them, whether that is helping a stalled site get moving or removing a barrier that has held development back.”

The authority said demand from councils across Sussex was ‘already strong’, with a number of potential projects put forward for consideration.