Rother DC Housing Company gains green light for affordable homes at Blackfriars’ Development in Battle, East Sussex

Following a unanimous council decision, Rother DC Housing Company (RDCHC) is delighted to announce its success in securing 130 affordable homes for local people at its flagship Blackfriars’ site in Battle, East Sussex.

Rother DC Housing Company (RDCHC) is delighted to announce its success in securing affordable homes for local people at its flagship Blackfriars’ site in the heart of Battle, East Sussex.

The news follows a unanimous decision at Rother District Council’s Full Council Meeting on Monday 29th July to give RDCHC the green light to progress the delivery of 130 affordable rented homes and properties for shared ownership, alongside 70 homes for the open market.

Whilst the requirement for RDCHC to deliver a proportion of affordable housing under Section 106 was removed through the planning determination process in February 2024, RDCHC remained committed to finding a solution to re-introduce affordable housing to the scheme as soon as it became financially viable to do so. Now, having gained planning approval for a more efficiently designed housing scheme, and following a competitive tender process to appoint a new main contractor within the available budget, RDCHC faces an improved financial outlook.

As the sole shareholder of RDCHC, Council approval of a suite of recommendations means that by the end of September 2024, RDCHC will have:
– A new build contract to construct 200 homes at Blackfriars
– A contract with a preferred Register Provider to pre-sell 130 affordable homes
– Finalised the transfer of all 7.5 hectares of developable land at Blackfriars

Richard Thomas, Chair of Rother DC Housing Company, said: “We wholeheartedly welcome Full Council approval of our recommendations which is testament to the robust measures we have undertaken to improve the financial viability of the project.

“The delivery of affordable housing remains an important priority for RDCHC and we are delighted that the Council has recognised both the economic and social benefits of our proposals. The provision of genuinely affordable homes, including some for rent, will particularly help young couples and those on the housing waiting list. We now look forward to concluding our tender process to appoint a new main contractor to begin the building of homes and to progress a new partnership with our preferred Registered Provider of social housing.”

The Blackfriars’ scheme will deliver 200 homes, a mix of 2, 3 and 4-bedroom properties, built to high environmental standards, including air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points, to ensure householders can benefit from energy efficient homes which are cheaper to run.

The announcement marks a major step forward for RDCHC in its ambition to deliver 1000 high-quality homes within the district of Rother by 2037. The Blackfriar’s development is scheduled for completion by summer 2027. Full details about the scheme can be found at www.rother.gov.uk/housing/housing-development/blackfriars-site/