September 26th, 2024.



Cabinet councillors at Lewes District Council have put the seal on a series of new principles that ‘set in stone’ the authority’s commitment to building high-quality social housing. The New Homes Principles have been developed in partnership with the Tenants of Lewes District (TOLD) to guide the council’s approach to new homes of the future.

At a time when less than 25% of local authorities have built any council housing in the last ten years and with many of the old stock falling below modern standards, Lewes District Council has completed and developed a pipeline of over 250 council properties since 2019, with a series of other social housing projects in the pipeline.

Councillor Zoe Nicholson (pictured), Leader of Lewes District Council, said: ”Good council homes should be in the DNA of every decision maker in local and central government. For me, it is therefore a source of immense pride to see the high-quality homes we have built over the last five years welcome local families from the council’s housing register.

“The New Homes Principles set in stone our commitment to build better and in the right locations, placing great emphasis on sustainability and climate resilience, high construction standards and low running costs.”

The principles will apply to all new homes directly built by the council reflecting both industry standards and best practice within the sector. They focus on five areas: creating places, communities, and homes that our residents need; building quality and healthy homes; maximising social value in housing development to benefit local people; reducing environmental impact and making homes more affordable; optimising location, sustainable transport, and connectivity.

Councillor Nicholson added: “It is extremely challenging for any authority to build council homes, not least because of the historical lack of financial support from government.

“For the sake of the thousands of people on housing registers across the UK, including Lewes district, I hope that the new government is serious about arresting the shameful decline in social housing and giving councils the means to deliver the much-needed change that is long overdue.”