February 5th, 2026.



Lewes District Council is driving forward its ambitious programme to build more high-quality, sustainable council houses for local people.

The current corporate plan (2024-28) has a target of 200 new council homes. 108 have already been completed or advanced, with the current pipeline looking to exceed 250 new homes in contract or complete by 2028.

This comes at a time when fewer than a quarter of UK local authorities have built any council homes in the past decade.

Alongside major regeneration schemes and partnership-led developments, the council’s garage infill programme is set to transform redundant brownfield sites into 23 new council houses across Newhaven, Cooksbridge, and Lewes.

Councillor Zoe Nicholson, (pictured), Leader of the Council, said: “I am incredibly proud that we are among the minority of local authorities that are still building council housing.

“Our priority remains to deliver the homes that our community urgently needs and to that end, we are accelerating our building programme.

“By focusing on brownfield land, we are providing much-needed homes while also protecting the district's valued green spaces and promoting local regeneration.”

The council is also pressing ahead with its commitment to acquire more properties through the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF). This fund has already successfully secured 17 homes for temporary and resettlement housing, ensuring the council can support those in the most urgent need.

Cllr Nicholson added: “Every new council house is a long-term investment in our communities. We are committed to providing good quality, sustainable homes for local people to live in for generations to come.”