The original proposal
The council proposed 50 flats at 7–27 Albion Street. The planning committee later approved a scheme described as 15 social-rent homes and 35 open-market homes.
See the full source record →WATCH Evidence TrailAlbion Street.
Albion Street.
The evidence trail.
A complicated housing project reduced to the key public records. Read the sequence first. Open the evidence when you want the detail.
Southwick · Public-record timeline · Updated 16 September 2026
How to use this page: each card records a published event or statement. It does not assign technical or personal fault where the available evidence does not establish it.
“Very soon”
With demolition under way, housing portfolio holder Carson Albury said he expected the new homes to be available very soon.
See the statement in context →The scheme changes
Later records describe a 55-home affordable scheme and material planning changes. The eventual new-build project is repeatedly described by the council as 49 council homes.
Read the planning record →The original contractor enters administration
Westridge Construction entered administration with the homes unfinished. The council subsequently appointed Cheesmur to complete the development.
Read the council project record →Summer completion expected
Council photographs showed fitted kitchens and bathrooms. The council said the 49 homes were on track for completion in summer 2024.
See the council timeline →Remedial work disclosed
The council disclosed substantial remedial work and about £2.8 million of additional cost. It later attributed serious damp risks to poor design, workmanship and materials under the original contractor.
Read the committee record →Completion is again described as close
Further council posts described kitchens, balconies and flats as nearing completion, with tenants expected before the end of the year.
See the council updates →Further hidden defects
The council reported further problems involving moisture pathways, sea-facing brickwork, balconies, insulation and cavity trays. Its report estimated £3.2 million of additional work and water-damage repairs to around half the flats.
Read the July 2026 report →Still unanswered
The records WATCH still wants.
01Who authorised the key contractual and project decisions at each stage?
02What inspections, condition surveys and quality-control reports were produced, and when?
03When were the defects first identified internally, and what was reported to elected members?
04What is the complete revised project cost, including remediation and recoveries?
05What lessons, accountability or review report will be published, and what records support its conclusions?
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