Costs of delivering 200-home Battle development rising

At a full council meeting on Monday (December 19), Rother District Council leader Doug Oliver (Ind) told councillors to expect a new report on the progress of the council’s 200-home housing development near Battle.

He had been replying to a question from Conservative councillor John Barnes, who drew attention to reports of rising costs, particularly around the construction of a new spine road which needs to be built out for the development to progress.

Cllr Barnes said: “I have recently been made aware that the cost of the spine road at Blackfriars has more than doubled to £8.6 million and is running well behind schedule.

“What has caused the increase and what steps are being taken to prevent further loss and delay?”

In response, Cllr Oliver said: “I asked the same question of the chief executive and the senior management team and there is a statement, which should be with members during the course of the next couple of days, regarding Blackfriars.

“I’ve asked the chief executive to bring forward a report in the new year so that this information can be clarified and identified so that we know which way we are going, going forward.”

The figures quoted by Cllr Barnes come from a Freedom of Information Request submitted by resident Bernard Brown

In a response,the council said the road was originally expected to cost £4.1m, but that latest estimates (from November) now put costs in excess of £8.67m.

In a statement released after the meeting, a spokesman for the authority said the cost increase reflected an ‘improved design’.

The response also confirmed that the road is not expected to be completed until September 2024. It was originally slated for completion in July 2023.

The delay to the road’s construction has had a knock on effect on the wider construction.

The site was originally set to be completed by December 2023. According to the FOI response, work on the housing is now not expected to commence until Autumn 2023, with completion not until Spring 2025.

The response also confirmed that Rother District Council has not yet transferred ownership of the Blackfriars site to its housing company.

Mr Brown also asked for details about how much the overall cost of the project was expected to have increased since first being approved.

The council was unable to provide figures beyond those for the road, but said new costs would come closer to commencement of the housing.

On top of this, the council said the scheme is being reviewed in terms of its design, following consultation with the contractor. Earlier in the same meeting, Cllr Oliver had been asked — by Conservative councillor Mary Barnes — about these potential design changes.

In response, he said: “Any changes from the original scheme will have to be managed through the council’s planning committee. It will therefore be carried out in an open and transparent manner.”

The scheme was last considered by the council’s planning committee in April last year, during which councillors granted reserved matters approval to the scheme.