Following Labour’s successful intervention, the Green administration has decided to withdraw proposals due to come before the special meeting of Policy & Resources committee this afternoon to sell off Patcham Court Farm.

Labour Councillors felt the council was missing a prime opportunity to build more genuinely affordable homes to address the housing crisis, by selling off the family silverware to Royal Mail (the Patcham Court Farm site) without securing sites in return for housing (existing sorting offices in Denmark Villas, Hove and North Road, Brighton).

Having piled the pressure on, Labour are pleased to have learned that the Greens have decided to withdraw their proposals today, in order to focus on trying to secure one or both of the existing sorting office sites to build genuinely affordable housing.

We will continue to keep the pressure up on the administration to take all action possible in tackling the housing crisis, and in delivering more council and genuinely affordable homes for residents.

The Greens withdrew their report from this afternoon’s meeting, following Labour Councillors voicing their concerns publicly, and submitting an amendment with our own proposals (below). Fortunately, the administration has listened on this occasion, and we welcome them withdrawing the report and thinking things through more carefully.