Labour-run Worthing Borough Council's track record of incompetence continues, as Worthing residents will lose out on affordable homes and local jobs.
The decision last week by the Labour councillors in Worthing to sell the Teville Gate site to Homes England has just hammered the final nail in the coffin for the hopes of so many families who are desperate to be able to have their own home in Worthing.
Labour Councillors have agreed to sell-off the Teville Gate site, washing their hands of it and losing the opportunity to influence the supply of new homes in Worthing. They have off-loaded the site to Homes England, a government agency, who will now take another 3 years touting the site to developers.
In May 2022 the Labour Councillors abandoned a well progressed agreement with a developer that proposed 343 residential units, a food store - bringing jobs, 340 car parking spaces, as well as community space and public realm improvements. Had this been progressed we would be seeing much needed housing being built on this site now.
In abandoning this agreement, they have not only lost over £2.3 million in capital receipts for the site, they have sacrificed 128 homes, public car parking and employment for local people.
The 2022 agreement would have been developed as 100% affordable housing comprising a mix of social rent and shared ownership properties. Now this agreement with Homes England is only promising 20% affordable housing, a major blow to local people's ambitions to have their own home.
Cllr Kevin Jenkins, leader of the opposition Conservative group said;
"This decision has resulted from the prevarication of this Labour Council, they have wasted the initial year 3 period to work with and move-on this site with a developer and get spades in the ground has been lost and now we are seeing them off-load it from the council's books and wash their hands of it. Homes England are not a developer, they are a government owned regeneration agency, who will now landbank this site whilst they tout it around for a developer. History has shown us how that will end.
"So, in this decision we see lost homes, lost jobs and lost capital receipts, whilst at the same time the council has picked up a larger interest bill on its borrowing as it has delayed work well beyond the three year period. This is yet another example of more of Worthing taxpayers money lost. I'll keep saying it, but Worthing cannot afford another year of this Labour administration - the cost to local taxpayers is mounting up."