Former Eastpoint Centre Development Site Progress

Southampton City Council’s Cabinet member for Housing Options, Andy Frampton, and Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Southampton Itchen, Darren Paffey, were welcomed to the former Eastpoint Centre site on Friday 7 June to receive an update on its redevelopment with new affordable housing.

Once completed, the development will feature 128 new homes, which will be available entirely for social rent including 107 one-and two-bedroom apartments together with 21 houses. The new apartments are being delivered in two main buildings across the site while the family homes are positioned along the site’s rear boundary. Our development partner, Hampshire Homes, started work on the scheme’s construction in summer 2022 with good progress having now been made with both the construction of the two apartment buildings and the family homes.

Tristan Samuels, Group Development & New Business Director, said: “We were pleased to welcome both Andy and Darren to site and to provide an update on what we consider is an important development locally given current housing needs across the city. We also appreciated the chance to discuss wider challenges faced by the housing sector as part of the visit, including decarbonising our existing stock through to issues posed by our current strained planning system."

Darren Paffey commented:"Having a decent, secure home is crucial, and I'm delighted to see the progress being made on the Eastpoint site that will make more affordable homes available for people in Southampton. We need to get Britain building good quality, greener homes, and I welcome the part that VIVID is playing in that mission.”

Councillor Frampton added:“I was very excited and pleased to attend the affordable housing development being built on the old Hightown Secondary School site by VIVID. After the site laying empty for many years, it is pleasing to see the area being developed with much-needed homes. If we are to end our housing crisis in Southampton, we will need more social housing like this with affordable rents.”

It’s hoped that the first set of customers will be able to move into homes on the site during the first few months of 2025 while the whole development is due for completion by next winter.