Thanet council is planning to build 11 social housing homes on land to the rear of Staner Court in Ramsgate.
The proposal is to reconfigure the existing hardstanding, amenity space, garages and parking areas to provide the two and three-bed family homes.
Proposals are also to improve landscaping and create a larger communal garden area for the existing Thanet District Council residents at the site.
Documents outlining the plans say Thanet council expects the homes to be designed as net zero or nearly net zero, to achieve an air tight, thermally efficient and high performing homes. The design will include technologies to provide low carbon energy.
The site is currently occupied by 43 parking spaces and 23 garages and a sub-station. The area is not allocated for development in the Thanet Local Plan – a blueprint for isle housing and infrastructure – but is brownfield land.
The current site at Staner Court begun development in 1964 and completed construction in 1965. The towerblock has 89 council flats over 15 storeys on land that was historically farmland and later allotment gardens.
Since then land next to Staner Court has been developed into homes in Meridian Close and further major build projects are taking place on greenfield sites off Manston Road and New Haine Road.
Designers for the 11 council-built homes looked at three layout options forming a cul de sac and then turning the homes around for a ‘street’ option
.The later design development looked to reduce parking and provide some more landscaping to buffer the proposed housing and replace 36 of 41 existing parking bays.
Design documents say: “We have proposed to develop the north eastern corner of the site. Whilst this is under used and a potential hot-spot for antisocial behaviour, we would aim to ensure the remaining amenity space is improved.”
The proposal is set out in seven phases. The first is concept design and pre-planning which started on April 28 and runs to June 1.
During this phase the project design team prepare architectural concepts and designs will be reviewed and improved with input from Thanet council and wider stakeholders including residents.
This phase is currently running and views can be lodged on the Your Voice website (closing in 2 weeks) at https://yourvoice.thanet.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/staner-court-ramsgate
During this phase, the council will also instruct ‘ground investigation’ meaning some resident parking areas may be impacted and parking may be restricted to allow access for machinery.
The next stage is a review of designs/plans and phase 3 is further design development.
Phase 4 is the submission of a planning application. During the application stage there will be a formal consultation period, normally lasting for 21 days. The application will be considered by the planning committee.
Assuming the plans are approved the council will then put the project out to tender for a main contractor.
Phase 6 will be for residents to meet the contractor and put any questions to them
The last phase is construction. This will start with the main contractor taking possession of the site, installing the relevant security measures and carrying out site enabling works before the main construction works begin.
Thanet council says it envisages a 12-18 month build programme, subject to the tender the council receives in stage 5.
Comments already made on the Your Vice site raise concerns over reduced parking. Currently the site has around 45 spaces to serve 89 flats in the tower block and another 30 flats in the three smaller blocks.
One resident said: “Most residents are all in favour of more council housing but this is madness when there is already a shortage of parking.”
Another said: “Whilst social housing is a good thing, I don’t believe that building houses on the land around Staner Court is a good idea. In the proposed plans (TDC is) removing much needed parking spaces. The car park already gets overcrowded due to lack of spaces and residents use the garages also.
“As a resident being in a flat I value having an outside area to be able to use. If this area is developed on (TDC) will be taking it away from residents in the main tower block and low rise flats as well.”
Thanet council’s affordable housing programme
The proposals are part of the council’s phase 4 Affordable Housing Programme. The phase 4 build, buy and refurbish programme to provide social homes in the district has an £8.8million projected spend for up to 36 homes.
The programme is paid for through the council’s housing revenue account, right-to-buy proceeds and funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). Phase 3 provided new build council homes in King Street and Sussex Street, Ramsgate.
Thanet council plans to increase the number of new build council homes in the latest phase from 36 to 61 and will fund it by transferring £8.1 million earmarked for phase 5 to the current build as well as increasing the budget for 2024/25 by £0.2m.
Phase 4 of the affordable housing development programme covers the 2020-24 financial years. It includes the purchase of 14 properties which has already been completed at a cost of £3.4million.
Twenty-two new homes were due to be started on site in March 2023 and this will now be increased to 47 homes. The council plans for some of the units to be infill sites on existing estates including the site at Staner Court and one at Clements Road.
Thanet council has also bought the former Dane Valley Arms site in Millmead which, the authority says, has capacity for 20 homes and there are detailed design proposals for infill sites in and around Tomlin Drive, where garages are being brought down to make way for between 9-11 homes.
