A serving councillor and a former colleague have spoken out about the strain being placed on services by the number of new homes being planned and built without extra infrastructure.
Former Conservative councillor Dawn Barnett also criticised the housing mix, saying that too many new homes were flats and often unsuitable for families.
The predominance of flats meant a lack of gardens for children to play in which, she said, was harmful to their mental health.
She also said that not enough was being done to ensure that homes were truly affordable for local working families.
Independent councillor Samer Bagaeen said that high-density schemes were being approved and built in places where the existing infrastructure was already struggling such as in Sackville Road, Hove.
Brighton and Hove City Council approved 306 flats for the top end of Sackville Road earlier this month next to more than 500 flats recently completed by Moda.
A block of more than 200 flats is now being occupied in a private build-to-rent scheme known as Hove Gardens, in Ellen Street, close to Hove railway station.
And work continues on almost 150 private flats in three blocks on the former KAP car showroom site, in Newtown Road, yards from the Moda scheme.
In addition, about 1,000 new homes are expected to be built in Toads Hole Valley in the coming years – and a battle still looms in Benfield Valley.
Mrs Barnett said: “No one seems to be accepting that we haven’t got enough doctors, we haven’t got dentists, we’re closing schools down and cutting classes and those will all come back up again.
“They’re not reasonably priced. They call them affordable but they’re not really affordable. What is needed is to build basic and let people put extra in when they are there.
“All the problems happening at the hospital are because they can’t cope. Some years ago, we had nine different hospitals in Brighton and Hove. Now we’ve only got one, incorporating the children’s and the eye hospital.
“There’s nothing else and they’re building thousands of homes. That’s why the hospital can’t cope.”
When NHS bosses announced the closure of Hove General Hospital, in Sackville Road, they promised that a new general hospital would be built on the allotments off Holmes Avenue.
The Hove General shut in 1997 and the building became flats, known as Tennyson Court. The NHS didn’t build a replacement general hospital. Instead, the allotments were replaced by Mill View psychiatric hospital and Hove Polyclinic.
Councillor Bagaeen, a professor of planning, objected to the council’s plans for the old trading estate at the top of Sackville Road because of the density of the scheme, saying that the existing infrastructure was struggling.
He was particularly concerned because the original planning application for the site was for a “care community”, with different needs to people living in family homes.
The decision was made six weeks after the government overturned the council’s Planning Committee to allow almost 500 flats on the Brighton gasworks site, saddling the council with a bill well into six figures.
Councillor Bagaeen said: “I appreciate that the Planning Committee had to approve this application, given it was reeling from the gasworks site one and could not take another risk of denying permission.
“The promoters are now blaming the Building Safety Regulator for possible delays. But it has to be pointed out that these delays are not new and have been common knowledge in the housing sector for more than a year.
“So starting to blame the regulator after permission was secured – but not highlighting it before – is disingenuous at best.
“Arguably, had the developers not increased the number of units, they would have ended up below the safety regulator’s threshold.”
The scheme is a joint venture between the council and housing association Hyde – and less than a fortnight ago the council’s cabinet approved an extra £2.6 million for the £100 million budget.
A report to the council cited increasing costs, including inflation in the construction sector, but also said that the potential delay in gaining approval from the Building Safety Regulator was a factor.
Labour councillor Gill Williams, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “We are in the middle of a housing crisis and, as a city, desperately need to build new genuinely affordable homes to provide good-quality, safe and secure housing for local people.
“New developments should be welcomed rather than criticised. They will help us achieve our goal of delivering thousands of new homes for our city – something we know is a priority for many local people.
“The Sackville scheme, for example, is 60 per cent new council-rented homes which will be allocated to people already living in the city.
“The shared ownership element will also be predominantly marketed to local people.
“Not only will this help alleviate some of the local housing pressures but will also reduce the likelihood of developments of this type adding strain to services like GPs because most will already be registered with a service.
“Other developments, such as Preston Barracks and Moulsecoomb Hub also include new GP facilities and investment in other important infrastructure.
“Developers are also required to make financial contributions towards local infrastructure which help fund improvements to healthcare, schools, transport and other essential services.
“All large-scale development in our city is shaped by our City Plan which was published following consultation with residents, local businesses and stakeholders including the NHS.
“Brighton and Hove desperately needs more homes and this council is committed to delivering them.”
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