How partnership working can lead to the delivery of high quality affordable homes, with the highest environmental standards, for both council rent and shared ownership.
At a glance
What went in
Priority area addressed
The development of affordable homes.
Timeframe to completion
The joint venture between the council and the Hyde Group was created in 2017, the first two projects completed in 2024
What came out
- 364 council rent and shared ownership homes completed
- The target is to deliver 1,000 affordable homes.
Executive summary
Homes for Brighton and Hove is a 50/50 joint venture partnership between Brighton and Hove City Council and housing association the Hyde Group. It was established in 2017 to provide much needed low-cost homes for people in the city.
The partnership’s first two projects were completed in 2024, delivering 346 council rent and shared ownership homes. Homes are highly energy efficient, which will help keep energy bills low for residents.
This is a great example of partnership working, allowing both organisations to pool their resources and expertise to deliver new, genuinely affordable housing for local people in the city.
Challenge and context
Brighton and Hove is a growing city with high housing prices, low incomes, an ageing population and a significant number of households with support needs. There are about 7,000 households on the joint housing register, 1,950 households in temporary accommodation and rising homelessness. Social housing makes up only a small part of the overall housing in the city, with 9 per cent of homes owned by the local authority and 5.2 per cent by housing associations.
The increasing demand for housing, reduced public funding for new affordable homes and a shift away from the development of rented and family homes remain key challenges identified by the council’s housing strategy and budget. It’s now harder than ever for local people who work in the city to afford to live in it as well.
What we did
Homes for Brighton and Hove (HfBH) is a 50/50 joint venture partnership between Brighton & Hove City Council and the Hyde Group. The partnership was agreed in December 2017.
HfBH aims to build 1,000 genuinely affordable homes over the next few years, specifically for lower income households in Brighton & Hove. HfBH combines the resources of the council and Hyde to build affordable homes for local people that the city urgently needs.
The partnership operates as a Limited Liability Partnership to deliver affordable housing schemes. The partners work together to secure Homes England grants and other subsidies to make this happen, including sharing and pooling grant funding.
The first two projects completed in 2024, delivering 346 council rent and shared ownership homes.
Clarendon Place in Portslade is a development of 104 flats overlooking Shoreham Harbour and includes 55 homes for shared ownership and 49 for council rent.
The 242 homes at Bluebell Heights, at Denman Place in Brighton, include 127 homes for council rent, with one wheelchair accessible home. Additionally, 113 shared ownership homes and two rented wheelchair accessible homes were available through Hyde.
HfBH has developed a design guide, which includes details of the size and layouts of homes, to ensure homes are high quality. They also meet the highest environmental standards, supporting the council’s 2030 Net Zero Carbon targets, while keeping living costs affordable for residents.
The partnership’s procurement approach is creating apprenticeships, jobs and skills opportunities for local people, and supporting Hyde to engage under-represented groups too.
HfBH has a six member Board, with three board members appointed by the council and three appointed by Hyde.
HfBH does not employ staff, services are subcontracted to Hyde (development management, plus sales and marketing) and the council (corporate and financial services). Construction and consultancy services are procured through Hyde’s frameworks.
The difference
HfBH’s business plan to deliver 1,000 homes is based on delivering 100 per cent affordable homes. This includes 50 per cent shared ownership and 50 per cent social or affordable rented homes. This is reviewed on a scheme-by-scheme basis to look at increasing the proportion of social rented housing, subject to viability. Schemes can include homes for private sale but must have at least 40 per cent affordable housing overall. There are minimum target investment return requirements for different development tenures.
Homes for Brighton and Hove is actively exploring future development sites to add to its pipeline of delivering more affordable housing across the city.
Contact
Max Soudain