Plans unveiled for £100m housing scheme on East Sussex coast

Housing association Southern Housing has appointed Bell Phillips Architects to a £100m scheme to replace a set of 1960s tower blocks at St Leonards on Sea with new housing.

Bell Phillips is working with fledgling practice KPK Studios – set up by three former PRP partners – on the job called Four Courts.

The pair are creating a masterplan for the East Sussex scheme which will see Southern Housing and Homes England invest £100m into the proposal.

It will see an increase in homes from 386 to 450 new social rent homes. Southern said the existing blocks don’t meet today’s design and accessibility requirements and “even with significant investment, Four Courts would still fall short of providing fully accessible and future proofed homes”.

Councillor Glenn Haffenden, leader of Hastings borough council and lead councillor for housing, said: “Improving housing in Hastings, including social housing, is a priority for the council as part of its new Housing Strategy.

“The proposals being worked up with Southern Housing at the Four Courts site involve replacing the existing blocks with a greater number of social rented homes that are modern and offer a higher standard of home. This will involve Southern Housing and Homes England investing over £100 million– making this project the biggest investment in Hastings for a generation.”

Others working on the plans include planning consultant Lichfields and employers agent Martin Arnold.

Plans will be submitted to Hastings council by the end of the years with construction set to start on site in 2028 once the last residents of the Four Courts complex – Bevin Court, Roosevelt Court, Kennedy Court and Churchill Court – have moved out.