Hastings falling short on house-building target

A local authority on the East Sussex coast will significantly miss its house-building target due to geographical constraints.

Councillor Mark Etherington, from Hastings Borough Council, said will likely deliver only about 35% of its target, after being tasked to build 710 new homes a year by the government.

The council says potential development sites are limited, as the borough is constrained by the sea to the south, Hastings Country Park to the east and the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the north.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed has said the government is "absolutely committed" to building 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.

The latest set of figures show over the last three years Hastings on average delivered only 222 new homes a year.

Etherington said: "The deadline is a tough one. We are a town of about 100,000 people.

"What's being proposed is some 12,500 new homes in 18 years. It's a pretty substantial addition to any town - if of course those targets can be met.

"Even if they can't be met, thousands of people will be added to that figure."

Across England, councils have been set targets for the numbers of new homes they should be helping to create in their areas every year.

Etherington says that it's essential the council look at how already-stretched services might handle the increase in population.

He says he would like to see sustainable housing and less car-dependent communities, but that "things take time."

Adding to the total of new houses delivered in Hastings this year will be the Ashdown House site.

The 151-home development is almost complete, and 59 of the homes are classed as "affordable rent".

Oliver Jolley, the chief development officer at Chartway Partnerships Group, which helped deliver the houses, said the housing secretary's mantra of "build baby build" was "music" to his ears.

But he said there were "barriers to entry", including the cost of land and the cost of capital.

Jolley said: "There is a long lead-time between acquiring a piece of land, submitting planning and putting a spade in the ground."

He says the process can take "up to two years" and he believes the government should provide more funding for local authorities to help with the planning process.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.