The East Sussex village of Rottingdean has been dubbed one of the prettiest villages in Britain and regularly ranks among the top five coastal hotspots for homebuyers.
Steeped in history, with smugglers’ tunnels, beautiful timber pubs and a hotel that inspired the Cluedo board game, many detached four-bedroom homes come with a £2million price tag.
So residents are stunned to hear the local council is buying expensive homes in the seaside village to use for temporary housing.
Brighton and Hove City Council is looking to spend £50million to acquire 200 homes over the next two years.
It has laid out plans to buy 21 homes on the newly-built Vaughan Williams Way and Nicholson Place in Rottingdean for an undisclosed fee. It has also agreed to buy 13 more flats in Brighton.
Known for its mix of elegant Georgian townhouses, Edwardian family homes and character cottages, the average asking price for a house in Rottingdean is £600,000.
Villagers say purchasing prime real estate in desirable areas and using it for social housing is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Tim Waddell, 79, a retired film editor and his wife Amanda, 73, a massage therapist, were more sceptical.
The East Sussex village of Rottingdean has been dubbed one of the prettiest villages in Britain and regularly ranks among the top five coastal hotspots for homebuyers
Steeped in history, with smugglers’ tunnels, beautiful timber pubs and a hotel that inspired the Cluedo board game, many detached four-bedroom homes come with a £2million price tag
Charlotte Daly, who grew up in Rottingdean said: ‘There will be homeowners thinking: ‘What’s this going to do to the value of my home’ but I’m all for it.’
Mrs Waddell said: ‘I’m not against it but I think the decision is an ideological one rather than practical. It doesn’t seem a good use of taxpayers’ money to spend more on getting less.
‘If the council bought outside Rottingdean they’d get so much more for their money. It doesn’t really make sense.’
Mr Waddell, who worked on Cold Feet and the Muppets and has lived in the village for more than 40 years, said: ‘It’s a difficult decision. People who require social housing have to be housed somewhere I just don’t think Rottingdean is the right place for it.’
Four miles east of the city of Brighton and Hove, Rottingdean traces its history back to the Bronze Age when it was established as a fishing village. It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086.
It has a pub – the Black Horse – which was built during the reign of Henry VIII in 1513 with many homes dating back to the Tudor period.
Due to its isolated position, the village later became known for the smuggling of contraband items such as alcohol, tea and lace.
However its natural beauty, combined with views of both the South Downs and English Channel, led it to become a desirable place to live and popular tourist destination.
Author Rudyard Kipling and pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones both called it home and in the 1930s the exclusive Tudor Close Hotel welcomed A-list guests such as Cary Grant, Bette Davis and Errol Flynn.
Villagers say purchasing prime real estate in desirable areas and using it for social housing is a waste of taxpayers’ money
David Harlock, 65, said: ‘I’m not sure it’s the correct place for widespread social housing and might not be considered the best use of council taxpayers’ money.’
It also boasts an iconic black wooden windmill which has sat to the west of the village since 1802.
Clive Bonny, a long-time residents, said: ‘If the council has £50m to spend – and much I’m aware is borrowed money – then it makes sense to spend it on as much space as possible.
‘It is not difficult to understand that if you’re spending money in a high-cost area than that money could be spent on more housing for more people in a lower cost area – it’s just common sense.’
Mr Bonny added: ‘The council is consumed with the levelling up ideology and they don’t really understand that by adopting this approach they are hurting part of the community.
‘It’s inappropriate because Rottingdean is as a tourist spot is extremely attractive – not everyone wants to go to Brighton to party.
‘We don’t want to be levelled down. We want to retain our status as an attractive place. I’m not implying homelessness will be part of our levelling down but that the money is not being invested as much as it could be to buy as much space as possible with the limited funds the council has.’
Mr Bonny added: ‘The decision to buy homes is absolutely right – every council needs to allocate expenditure to protect the homeless. Homelessness is a big issue in the city and needs addressing.
‘Having said all that I’m aware there are places such as Rottingdean and Roedean, which are very expensive per square foot compared to other areas such as in Moulsecoomb.’
Brighton and Hove City Council is looking to spend £50m to acquire 200 homes over the next two years
Gareth Tipton, 44, (pictured) was fully supportive of the scheme and said those people who opposed it were being ‘insular and fearful’
The price of a two-bedroom apartment on Vaughan Williams Way costs around £350,000 with a one-bedroom flat up for sale for £250,000.
In neighbouring Woodingdean – just two miles away – a smart two-bedroom apartment on Kipling Avenue can be snapped up for £250,000.
Two-bedroom apartments in other areas of Brighton and Hove can be bought for as little as £200,000.
David Harlock, 65, said: ‘I’m not sure it’s the correct place for widespread social housing and might not be considered the best use of council taxpayers’ money.
‘There are places that surround Rottingdean where the council would get more for its money.’
Mr Harlock, a retired lawyer, added: ‘Some of these places the council has bought will place their residents right in the heart of a community that might not have the facilities they require.’
But Gareth Tipton, 44, was fully supportive of the scheme and said those people who opposed it were being ‘insular and fearful’.
He said: ‘Giving people the chance to live where they might not ordinarily have is a good thing and I’m all for social mobility. I think it’s good to give people new opportunities. It’s a beautiful village and hopefully they’ll enjoy living here.’
Charlotte Daly, who grew up in Rottingdean, agreed saying said: ‘There will be homeowners thinking: ‘What’s this going to do to the value of my home’ but I’m all for it.
‘A lot of other people, especially the elderly, might be a bit more reticent, as they fear change but I think Rottingdean is a lovely place to grow up. I grew up in social housing on the edge of the village and I enjoyed living here hugely.’
Councillor Jacob Taylor, Deputy Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: ‘Social housing is something to be proud of – we should have council homes in every neighbourhood and get away from the ludicrous idea that social housing should only exist in poorer areas.
‘Buying additional council homes will save the taxpayer the millions of pounds we would otherwise spend on expensive private temporary accommodation while helping us deliver 2,000 desperately needed affordable homes throughout our city.’
The Labour-led council have previously been labelled ‘woke’ after publishing a misleading advert about wood-burning stoves.
They are also notorious for having a heavy Green Party presence with eight Green Party city councillors representing the area.
Most recently, a new £5.5million pool in Brighton designed by a firm founded by Olympic swimming stars has provoked fury over plans suggesting a gender-neutral changing village.
Venue owner Brighton and Hove City Council handed the contract for the pool’s design to ReCreation, a company set up by four-time Olympic medallist Rebecca Adlington and fellow Olympic swimmers Steve Parry and Adrian Turner.
Councillors hailed ‘plans for this much needed new swimming pool’ to be built at the Withdean sports base, which has an athletics stadium that was formerly home to Brighton and Hove Albion FC between 1999 and 2011.
But critics have drawn attention to how the newly published plans, put out to public consultation, promise ‘Gender neutral changing village and toilets’.
Campaigners say women and children could be put at risk as they raised questions about the mooted new facilities at Withdean Sports Complex.
The local authority has since said there has been a ‘misunderstanding’ about the published plans, while suggesting they had been wrongly phrased.
Brighton and Hove City Council have been contacted for comment.
