Social Landlord Leaves 53 Homes Empty
MERLIN BETTS reports from the Housing Rebellion protest and occupation of Clifton Court
The blocks of Clifton Court sit on the edge of Castle Ward, minutes from the town centre. They hold 53 flats, all empty. The tenants were asked to leave in autumn 2021, and apart from a mysterious stint as temporary housing (and a few squatters), they’ve remained empty since they left.
Housing Rebellion protests and organises against the misuse of housing, and thinks this is a travesty – given that we’re in a housing crisis. They’ve gathered some serious evidence to support their concerns and have previously protested outside Clifton Court. The property is owned by Orbit housing association, which sought to rehouse all the tenants, although they wouldn’t confirm if all were rehoused successfully. Tenants were offered £6,500 home loss compensation, free removals and new carpets.
It’s now three years since the decision to empty the property, and Orbit is still in discussions with local and national authorities about its future. Meanwhile, around 1,500 Hastings households are waiting for social housing. Orbit claims that demolishing to rebuild is cheaper and more useful than refurbishing, and Hastings Borough Council (HBC) is divided on whether it agrees.
While Clifton Court has been issued with an improvement notice by HBC and is not particularly energy efficient, there is no discernable reason why the flats should be left empty while Orbit works out its plans.
On 23 June 2024, Housing Rebellion occupied one of the blocks of Clifton Court for a 24-hour protest. They sent in two architects and a building contractor. HBC councillors and national media crews also visited. Ignoring any unusual issues that would only be picked up by a full survey, the experts agreed it is structurally sound, suitable housing and should not be empty – although it would seriously benefit from modernisation.
In 2021, Orbit told residents they’d spent 18 months examining the property and “found out that the way it’s built lets heat out and damp in. There are also limits on how much we can alter the building layout because of the way it’s built […] We know that just updating the heating or changing windows or doors won’t be enough. The building could be updated to meet modern standards, but it would cost at least £5 million.” Whether they retrofitted or rebuilt, Orbit said, “residents would have to move out during the building works.”
This initial letter to tenants is confusing because, at least when the property was visited on 23 June, no-one could find the damp. Even if it is present in the buildings that couldn’t be accessed, that leaves many of the flats in the property still habitable, and damp can be fixed.
‘INDEPENDENT SURVEY’
Orbit has since claimed that the £5 million estimate comes from an independent survey. We asked if Orbit would be willing to share the details of this report with local architects, or if they would be willing to meet with activists at their Hastings office. They have declined to respond, instead restating their purpose as a housing association and explaining:
“Orbit is developing two new 100% affordable housing schemes on Harrow Lane and Fredericks Road, which will comprise 80 affordable rent and 116 shared ownership properties, including 31 flats and 165 family homes. The 80 affordable rent properties will be allocated via the Council’s Housing Register.”
When asked if Orbit had any plans to provide social housing – as opposed to affordable housing – they declined to respond. Social housing is provided to tenants on a council list, and tends to cost half the market average. Affordable housing, by contrast, is set at 80% market rate – much more expensive for the tenant.
In December 2023 there were 1,547 Hastings households waiting for social housing. According to HBC statistics r, some had been waiting for up to eight years, and the total number of properties let last year was just 189… so it’s hard to see why these 53 flats at Clifton Court are languishing, slowly seeping into disrepair, when they are clearly needed and could be lived in.
Housing Rebellion’s experts suggested refurbishment would likely be cheaper than demolishing and rebuilding, and certainly less environmentally damaging. It might also provide an opportunity to increase the number of flats in the property from the current 53. Orbit, on the other hand, claims any refurbishment would be costly and would cut the number of flats, whereas more could be added as part of a rebuild.
COUNCIL RESPONSE
A spokesperson for Hastings Borough Council declined to comment on the need for social housing as well as (and perhaps more than) affordable housing, but said, “Given the pressures on housing and on the council’s finances, we need to work with our housing association partners to develop affordable rented housing and whilst we will always push for the maximum number of affordable homes we can, we want to hear Orbit’s plans before we comment further.”
Details about the property’s use as temporary accommodation remain uncertain. For those who aren’t familiar, people in temporary accommodation are still classified as homeless, and their rent is generally charged to HBC per day, costing as much as a hotel room. Whether Orbit charged such an exorbitant rate, and why it couldn’t keep letting the property as temporary accommodation, we have yet to discover.
The Greens’ Deputy Leader and Housing & Community Wellbeing Portfolio Holder, Glenn Haffenden, wrote on Nextdoor, “[Orbit] are demolishing to build more homes, more sustainable homes, cheaper-to-run homes, more environmentally-friendly homes and also homes that meet the current housing requirements.”
Another Nextdoor user replied, “It is always more environmentally damaging to demolish an existing building, with all the landfill, air pollution and waste of embodied carbon that it entails as well as all the carbon emissions and natural resources in building the replacement […] It is very concerning that, as the new cabinet member for housing, you are going along with the developer ‘greenwashing’ of new builds as more sustainable than refurbishing.”
Cllr Haffenden wrote, “I have no idea about the structure of the building as this was all done/decided before it was my portfolio.” It is worth noting that Cllr Haffenden suggests this is a done deal, despite the council indicating it hasn’t even seen Orbit’s plans.
Hastings Independent Councillor John Cannan, who works with homeless charity The Seaview Project and attended the occupation, offered a different view: “I see examples everyday of the devastating impact lack of housing has on people in terms of both physical and mental health. I have raised the issue at Council to no avail.
“That is why I am wholeheartedly supporting this protest. It is a disgrace that Orbit is not progressing the refurbishment of Clifton Court as a matter of urgency. Providing affordable rents and secure tenancies should be at the very core of what they do. Instead, they sit back and prevaricate, make all the right noises whilst doing nothing at all to provide a roof over the head of the homeless in Hastings.”
To sign Housing Rebellion’s petition to refurbish Clifton Court use this qrCode or visit change.org
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