New Worthing flats to provide temporary accommodation for homeless

Worthing Borough Council’s Planning Committee unanimously approved a Worthing Homes scheme which will see 21 flats built on the site of Skywaves House in Ivy Arch Road.

This will be in partnership with Turning Tides with office space also provided for around 20 council and charity employees.

Between 2020 and 2021 the charity had 459 new clients and chief executive John Holmstrom said rates of single homelessness are the worst he has seen in his nearly 40 years in the sector.

He added: “This will give us a purpose-built, multi-agency hub which we think is going to be needed in the longer term.

“My hope is that we become less dependent on inadequate shared accommodation, tired buildings, and council temporary accommodation.”

Officers were concerned that the flats do not meet national space standards, but recognised they will only be a temporary solution, with residents eventually moving on to more permanent housing.

Mr Holmstrom said that the new flats would be ‘quite luxurious’ when compared to other temporary accommodation and also gave assurances that the building would be needed long term and therefore there is little risk of it being converted into general use flats for rent or sale.

The committee heard that Skywaves House had been on the market for more than five years ‘with little commercial interest’.

Concerns about anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in the area were also raised by both residents and police.

One resident said: “Working within the NHS, I recognise the need for emergency and social housing.

“But I have first-hand experience working with these types of clients who I know can be difficult and challenging and knowing that they will be directly overlooking my garden concerns me and my partner.”

WBC recognised anti-social behaviour as a ‘real and understandable concern’ and Turning Tides has committed to providing CCTV and a 24-hour staff presence.

John Turley (Lab, Gaisford) asked if further CCTV could be provided around the development and planning officers confirmed that they could look into this.

WBC’s head of planning now has permission to approve the development subject to an agreement on developer contributions and ironing out some drainage issues.