Below, you’ll find answers to some common questions about the regeneration and what it means for you.

The design and layout of flats doesn’t meet modern mobility standards, and the physical constraints of the buildings restrict the opportunities to modernise these blocks to the standards residents expect.

Your feedback has also played a crucial role in shaping our decision to redevelop. After listening to residents, stakeholders, and the wider community, we recognise the Four Courts no longer meets modern housing standards.

We’ve carefully considered all options and believe this is a unique opportunity to create new, high-quality social homes that better serve the needs of current and future residents.

The decision to regenerate is based on the shortcomings of the existing blocks. We’ve listened to residents’ concerns about the repairs and maintenance required for the blocks, as well as the constraints of the current design of the blocks themselves. Many homes lack proper accessibility, making life difficult for those with mobility needs. The lift systems do not reach all floors and are too small for ambulance crews.

We haven’t yet, but this will be part of our technical due diligence when we appoint surveyors and contractors.

All new homes built on the site will remain social housing, reinforcing our dedication to providing affordable and sustainable homes for local people. This regeneration project is a positive step towards addressing housing challenges in the area while maintaining strong community ties.

We already have several good quality independent living schemes in the area. Instead, we’ll be developing a range of homes including family houses, maisonettes, and low-rise flats. These will be accessible and could also be suitable for older residents.

We shared our plans with residents as soon as we were able to. The decision to regenerate and redevelop was based on the limitations of the existing blocks to provide good quality housing in the years to come, rather than financial drivers.

We'll use our borrowing capacity and Social Housing Grant to fund the development of new social housing at Stonehouse Drive. We'll be speaking to Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency about securing grant funding for the new social homes.

We’ll use our borrowing capacity to fund the development of new social housing at the Four Courts site. We’ve had early conversations with Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, about securing grant funding for the new social homes. We’ve been clear from day one that all new homes built on the site will remain social housing, reinforcing our dedication to providing affordable and sustainable homes for local people. We can categorically say we have no plans to sell the site.

We’ll work with the steering group on shaping the masterplan proposals and will need to appoint our external project team, including designers and surveyors, as well as planning consultants. We don’t expect to submit a planning application for the whole masterplan until December 2026.

We don’t have details of the cost of the new build development as we're just about to start consulting with residents and the Council on the design, mix and layout of the new homes. These factors will be discussed and developed through the planning process and will determine the cost of the development.

The site is big enough to provide more social housing than the number of homes currently provided by the Four Courts. The new development will include a mix of home types to meet local housing needs. We’re confident we’ll be able to maintain good open areas as well.

Homes England changed their position in 2023 to fund the development of replacement homes in regeneration projects. The development of new homes at Stonehouse Drive will take many years. We don’t envisage the first homes starting until 2028. Homes England never commit to long term funding at this stage of a regeneration project.

All new homes will be for social rent, reinforcing our dedication to providing affordable and sustainable homes for local people.

We know the site can achieve more homes than currently on the estate and believe we can achieve approximately 450 new homes including apartments, maisonettes and houses.

DFG is secured through the Local Authority following an assessment of need of the resident/potential resident, involving Occupational Health. We can signpost and follow up with partners if we're aware of specific needs/requirements for new homes.

We'll be developing a range of new homes including houses, maisonettes and flats which will be accessible for residents with disabilities. We'll apply for grants if we need to make specific adaptations to make a home suitable for an individual family.

It’s clear that even with significant investment, the existing structures would still fall short of providing fully accessible, and future-proofed homes. For example, essential upgrades such as lifts that stop on all floors and are large enough to enable ambulance crews to exit residents are not feasible within the current buildings. The design and layout of flats doesn’t meet modern mobility standards, and the physical constraints of the buildings restrict the opportunities to modernise these blocks to the standards residents expect. For these reasons, after careful consideration and listening to concerns, we’ve made the decision to redevelop the Four Courts.

This is false. We can categorically say we have no plans to sell the site. We’ve been clear from day one that all new homes built on the site will remain social housing, reinforcing our dedication to providing affordable and sustainable homes for local people.