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Housing tenants 'in limbo' over demolition plans

Emily Coady-Stemp
BBC News, St Leonards
Huw Oxburgh
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Emily Coady-Stemp/BBC A woman wearing glasses, a cross necklace and holding a book stood in front of a building. There is an area of grass and a number of cars parked on the road behind her. Emily Coady-Stemp/BBC
Resident Carol Prowse said she had "nowhere to go" amid plans to demolish the Four Courts developments

A housing provider has announced plans to demolish and redevelop social housing properties in East Sussex.

Southern Housing has informed St Leonards residents about its plans to refurbish Four Courts in Stonehouse Drive – a 1960s social housing scheme comprising Bevin Court, Roosevelt Court, Kennedy Court and Churchill Court.

Residents in the high-rise flats say they have "nowhere to go" and are calling on Southern Housing to find them suitable accommodation.

Southern Housing said the current design and layout of the apartments did not meet modern mobility standards, and redevelopment would mean it could "better serve the needs of current and future residents".

Carol Prowse, a resident at Bevin Court, said she was "in limbo".

"We agree it's not fit for purpose, but I would like them to come up with a list of properties that are vacant and tell us where we can go," she said.

"If they can't meet our needs, they can pull the block apart around me."

Google A tall apartment under clear blue skies. There is a small car park with a handful of cars parked in it. Google
Southern Housing said the flats in Four Courts needed to be modernised

Southern Housing said it planned to relocate residents over the next few years.

The company said those living in Bevin Court would be moved first and expected to be living in new social housing by March 2026, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Simon Lee, a Bevin Court resident and secretary of the Hastings Area Southern Housing Tenants Association, said: "People who have been here for a long time are rightly anxious.

"More could be done to make this less painful. Southern Housing have come at it like a bull in a China shop."

Emily Coady-Stemp/BBC A man wearing a jumper stood in front of a housing block. There are a handful of cars in the background, as well as an area of grass. Emily Coady-Stemp/BBC
Simon Lee, a Bevin Court resident, said residents were anxious about the proposals

Councillor Helen Kay, whose ward includes Four Courts, said it was "vital we ensure the voices of residents in these blocks are heard and heeded".

Hastings Borough Council deputy leader, Glenn Haffenden, said the council faced "unprecedented pressure" on housing waiting lists and welcomed the new development.

Southern Housing chief executive, Paul Hackett CBE, said it had listened to residents and called the plans a "once in a generation opportunity" for development.

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