New energy-efficient council homes for Adur families who would otherwise be homeless have been completed on the site of the former South Street car park in Lancing. A total of four one-bedroom and three two-bedroom homes, all of them with their own private gardens, have been built for Adur District Council – under budget and on time.

Severe social housing shortage
There are more than 1,000 households on the council’s waiting list for housing, more than 100 of whom are having to be accommodated outside the district because of a severe shortage of social housing here. To help tackle the issue, the council is replacing its old garage compounds and under-used sites with homes that families in the district need in Sompting, Lancing, Shoreham, Southwick and Fishersgate.

Panel construction system 
The new homes have been built using a panel system, where factory-made walls, roofs, and floors were assembled on-site. This has led to less construction waste and caused less disruption than a traditional project for those living near the site. The new houses are also well-insulated, fitted with air source heat pumps and are energy efficient so will be cheaper to run for the families moving in.

Battling social housing crisis in Adur
Cllr Lee Cowen, Adur’s cabinet member for housing and citizen services, said: “Each of these new homes will improve the quality of life for a family in our area. We have a real social housing crisis in Adur, but by creating new council homes like these we can help some of our most in need residents to get a good, safe place to live.”

South Street car park was identified as being underused by the community so was closed in March 2024 to be redeveloped. The council has used Right to Buy receipts – money it has received from the sale of other council houses to tenants – to fund the project. The project is expected to save the council as much as £2.7 million over the coming years by reducing the amount that needs to be spent on emergency B&B accommodation for Adur residents with nowhere to live.

The council is creating over 50 more new council homes in Lancing and Southwick this year by developing sites it owns.