FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Residents who have the right to return have been told they have the option to return to Newington Court once the work is complete. These are residents who we met with in June 2023 to explain the extent of the work required. For their safety and comfort, it was necessary to move out of Newington Court while the work takes place. 

Sussex Homemove, is the scheme that Rother District Council uses to advertise Independent Living or 'Sheltered' accommodation in Rother.  

You'll find information about how to register, how the Sussex Homemove scheme works and answers to frequently asked questions on the Council website

There are no plans for a cafe in the refurbished scheme. The newly refurbished Independent Living scheme will provide 18 flats and associated communal areas, office space and the GP surgery. 

If our planning application is successful, we'll provide 8 new houses of the following types: 

• 1 x one-bedroom (social rent)
• 3 x two-bedroom (one social rent and two shared ownership)
• 3 x three-bedroom (shared ownership)
• 1 x four-bedroom (social rent)

A definition of affordable homes can be found in the glossary of the Government's National Planning Policy Framework. 

In short, it's housing for sale or rent, for those whose needs are not met by the market (including housing that provides a subsidised route to home ownership and/or is for essential local workers) and which complies with additional criteria as set out in the glossary.  

The Shared Ownership FAQs on our website explain this in detail. 

If our planning application is successful, the Shared Ownership houses will be marketed by our Sales team. This will be closer to the time of completion, which we currently expect to be in 2026. 

When the properties are ready to be marketed, the Sales team will advertise them on our website here. You’ll then be able to register your interest, and receive an alert when the new homes are available to view.

Rother District Council manages nominations for affordable rented homes in the area. They'll offer any new social rent homes to people on their needs-based waiting list. 

There may be local people who'd like one of the new homes for themselves or family members. We're fully supportive of a local lettings plan. This is an agreement between the Council, local tenants and residents that restricts lettings in the area to specific households. 

We'll discuss this with the Council if there's demand for a local lettings plan.

Sussex Homemove, also known as the Housing Register or choice based lettings, is the scheme that Rother District Council uses to advertise social housing properties available in Rother.  

You'll find information about how to register, how the Sussex Homemove scheme works and answers to frequently asked questions on the Council website

All our new houses are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of B or above. EPC is a guide to how energy efficient a property is. It includes estimated energy costs and a rating (or band). Bands range from A to G, with A being the most energy efficient. The average EPC rating in the UK is D.

The refurbished flats will be enhanced to EPC Band C to align with the businesses strategy to improve existing properties energy performance. 

We're working with the GP surgery to accommodate their needs throughout the planning and development process. 

During the tender process, contractors will be asked to provide a logistics plan which explains how they will minimise disruption during construction, including for the GP surgery. This will form part of our decision-making process. 

All contractors in our selection process will have accreditation by the Considerate Constructors Scheme. You can read more about what that means here: The Code of Considerate Practice - Considerate Constructors Scheme (ccscheme.org.uk).

We had hoped to submit a planning application in May/June 2024 but our plans are taking longer than anticipated. 

We have further technical surveys to complete before submission, which will determine the level of work required to bring the retained building up to modern safety standards. 

These factors will influence the timetable for submission. 

We estimate that construction will begin in early 2025, but the start date depends on a number of factors including:

• When we submit our planning application
• How long it takes to achieve planning permission (approx 12 weeks)
• How long it takes to complete the tender process to select a contractor (approx 12 weeks)

The chosen contractor will then need to carry out investigative and site enabling works ahead of construction.

We expect construction to take between 14 and 18 months to complete.

During the tender process, contractors will be asked to provide a logistics plan which explains how they will minimise disruption during construction. This will form part of our decision-making process. 

All contractors in our selection process will have accreditation by the Considerate Constructors Scheme. You can read more about what that means here: The Code of Considerate Practice - Considerate Constructors Scheme (ccscheme.org.uk).