Land sold to speed up development of derelict site

A West Sussex council has reached an agreement to sell land intended for redevelopment in a move that is expected to accelerate the construction of 216 new homes.

Worthing Borough Council initially intended to partner with Roffey Homes on a project to build new homes on the site in Union Place which has been dormant for over a decade.

The Union Gardens project, for which planning permission is already in place, will now be undertaken solely by Roffey Homes after the council agreed the sale on Tuesday.

The council said it was "focused on finding ways of reducing costs and increasing income" and managing the large-scale development was not "in line with that aim".

The council's Labour leader, Sophie Cox, told BBC Radio Sussex: "[It] not only just reflects the financial position of the council, but it also looks at our commitment to manage the risk of these major projects.

"These are big, costly, time-consuming projects, and our priority is to get this going as quickly as possible."

Getting a "capital receipt sooner" has been a key motivation behind the decision, she added.

The council partnered with Roffey Homes on the project in 2022, which will include 20 flats that will go to Worthing households on the borough's waiting list for affordable social rent, and 23 available for shared ownership.

Roffey Homes says it will start construction this year and complete the works at the end of 2028.

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