Unforeseen issues add to cost of new Southwick council homes

Released: Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Unforeseen issues caused by the collapse of the original contractor have added additional costs and delay to the completion of our new council homes in Southwick.

We're building 49 new council homes in Albion Street for local residents on our housing waiting list. This has been an ambitious project for us to deliver much-needed homes.

The project has faced significant delays since the collapse of the original contractor, Westridge Construction, which went into administration in September 2023 while work was underway.

Our replacement firm, Cheesmur Building Contractors, inherited issues caused by incomplete cladding by the previous contractor that meant some flats suffered water damage, as well as other examples of poor construction work by the previous contractor that have had to be rectified.

An added complexity for the project has been the challenge of complying with the government's new Building Safety Act without the support of the original contractor.

The act, which came into force after work on Albion Street had begun, puts additional responsibilities on the owners of taller structures like this.

While the Albion Street homes haven't required any adaptations, the law says we must develop an electronic database detailing the safety features of the building, including its design and ongoing maintenance. The collapse of Westridge has meant that the level of detail required is not easily accessible, so we are working closely with the team from Cheesmur to pull that information together.

The additional work and time taken to complete the building means we're now having to invest a further £1.1m into the project so that it can be completed.

A total of 25 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom council flats are being created on what was brownfield land facing Shoreham Harbour, comprising a mixture of homes for social rent and affordable rent.

We understand how challenging the delays have been for residents waiting to move into the new homes. We're working hard to ensure that the first tenants are able to move into their properties early in the new year.