Tenants of 8 council tower blocks in Whitehawk, Hollingdean and Kemp Town get demolition notices. Right to Buy and swaps are paused; no one has to move yet.

Council tenants in eight Brighton tower blocks are being served formal notice this month that their buildings will be demolished. The council says the step is a legal requirement and does not mean demolition is close.

The eight are the council’s large panel system (LPS) blocks:

  • Falcon Court, Heron Court, Kestrel Court, Kingfisher Court and Swallow Court in north Whitehawk
  • Dudeney Lodge and Nettleton Court in Hollingdean
  • St James’s House in Kemp Town

The council announced the notices on Thursday 8 October. They are going to secure tenants, the council’s long-term tenants.

What an Initial Demolition Notice does

The notice tells secure tenants that the council intends to demolish their building in the future. According to the council:

  • it stays in place for up to seven years
  • it suspends mutual exchanges, so tenants cannot swap homes with another tenant
  • it suspends any Right to Buy applications
  • it does not change the rehousing programme already running
  • it does not mean anyone has to move now

A second notice, the Final Demolition Notice, will come once plans for redeveloping the sites are finished. That one will set the timetable for demolition.

Why the blocks are coming down

Structural surveys found the blocks no longer meet current safety standards for withstanding a collapse in an explosion or large fire. The council says there is no immediate danger, and it has added safety measures so the buildings stay safe to live in. Bans on gas canisters and barbecues have long been in place.

Strengthening and refurbishing the blocks was looked at. The council’s LPS information page says it would only have guaranteed their safety for another 20 years and needed heavy investment.

Cabinet agreed on 19 March 2026 to demolish the blocks and replace them with new energy-efficient homes. That followed a resident consultation from October 2025 to January 2026, which the council says drew replies from more than half of all LPS households.

Who moves first

Rehousing is phased block by block, in this order:

  1. St James’s House, Kemp Town
  2. Nettleton Court and Dudeney Lodge, Hollingdean
  3. The five north Whitehawk blocks

The council expects rehousing to take at least two years for each block. Neither the release nor the information page gives a date for any demolition, or says how many new homes will replace the flats.

What it means for you

If you are a secure tenant in one of the blocks, you keep a secure tenancy when you move. Rent and service charges carry on as normal for now. The council says tenants will get:

  • wherever possible, a like-for-like offer with similar security, rent and size (unless the current home is overcrowded)
  • priority banding of at least B on the housing register if you want to move now
  • a priority LPS bidding category when your block’s turn comes
  • two offers of suitable accommodation

You need a Homemove application to bid for homes. The form is on the council’s apply for housing page, and help is available from homemove-lps@brighton-hove.gov.uk. Statutory Home Loss and Disturbance Payments are handled by the council’s LPS Rehousing Team.

If you were planning to buy your flat under Right to Buy, the notice suspends that. The March Cabinet report proposed a “Home Ownership Pact” pilot instead: a grant of £40,000 to £50,000, depending on the size of the property, to help eligible tenants buy on the open market. We could not find confirmation on the council’s pages that the pilot has opened.

If you are a leaseholder, the council offers to buy your flat at an independent open market valuation plus 10% if you have lived there for at least 12 months, or plus 7.5% if you have not. It also covers set costs such as legal fees and removals. Contact the Home Purchase Team at homepurchase@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

If you live in temporary accommodation or a Seaside Homes flat in one of the blocks, the council says it will work with you to find another home and give as much notice as your tenancy allows. You do not qualify for the statutory Home Loss or Disturbance payments.

Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “It is important to reassure them that serving these notices do not mean that demolition is imminent. Redevelopment is a lengthy process and it’ll take us some time to get to that stage.”