Housing project progress on Albion Street site

Progress is being made on building more than 50 council houses on the edge of Shoreham Harbour, according to the district council’s housing chief.

Cllr Carson Albury went to see how the work was getting on as builders construct 49 new homes on Albion Street, Southwick. Refurbishment of neighbouring properties will bring the number to 55. Under the scheme, which also utilises a disused brownfield site, all properties will be affordable rental housing and many feature views of the harbour or the Downs.

The low rise project, which was approved in 2020, is due to be completed early next year, with all buildings now ‘up to height’, meaning they are roughly as tall as they will be when residents move in next year.

It is part funded by £2.4million from the Government via Homes England which is the government body set up in 2018 to fund affordable housing. It is being built by Westridge Construction.

Adur District Councillor on the Albion Street site

Visiting the Albion Street site, Cllr Carson Albury, Adur District Council’s Executive Member for Housing, was delighted by the work in progress.

“These are really impressive buildings, with mixed units at different roof levels, using modern structural block methods. The light, acoustics and predicted energy consumption, due to improved insulation are all impressive. It’s a far cry from some of the older council housing stock which is increasingly hard to maintain,” he said.

“It’s taken years to get to this stage, and it’s good to see the progress; when I visited in March there was nothing to see. Now you can get a really good idea of how the accommodation will look. The views are great too.”

Other housing schemes in Adur

Albion Street is one of a number of schemes in the area which will provide 100 new council homes in Adur over the next couple of years, after three decades in which there was no new council housing, until Cecil Norris House in Shoreham was completed this year.

There are also currently consultations active for car park sites to potentially be turned into housing.

There have been some challenges associated with access to the site. Also, the work was interrupted by Covid, and deliveries have been delayed due to Brexit, including the modern structural block system being used.

For more on the car park consultations, including the chance to have your say on proposals, visit the Adur & Worthing Council website: www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/small-sites-consultation-july-2022