The flats that seem to have 'fallen flat'

Some local residents are unimpressed by West Norfolk Council's fresh attempts to sell Styleman Court in Hunstanton.

Some think they should never have been built, others say they’re overpriced and one person jokes the council should ‘knock them down and build a car park’.  In 2022 construction began on the Styleman Court flats in Hunstanton and despite going on sale in 2023 not one of the 32 has sold (as far as I’m aware).

The idea behind it all wasn’t a bad one. Use part of the coach park on Southend Road which the council said was no longer needed, to build new homes with talk of including a 20% provision for affordable housing.  There were hopes that it would attract first time buyers and small families. Preference would be given to locals - with a covenant requiring them to be used as a main residence. West Norfolk Council teamed up with Lovell Homes and work began on the 7 million pound project.

Despite the development being recognised for creating positive change in the community (at the Considerate Constructors Scheme awards 2024) - this isn’t the success story anticipated. The local estate agents appointed couldn’t find a single person interested in buying them, after 10 months they were taken off the market.

It’s left many residents questioning whether the council should be involved in property development, such as Verity who lives nearby, “There’s a lot of building going on in Hunstanton by independent developers, whether that’s the right thing or wrong thing to do they’ve decided to risk their money, but for the council to go down that road, it makes us tax payers quite angry.”

Sitting empty the council faces paying almost 50 thousand pounds a year in council tax - this will go up, as after a certain period they’ll be considered as empty homes and the cost doubles.

So in a bid to attract buyers the restrictions on second homes and holiday lets have been lifted and they’re back on the market with a different agent. Cllr Simon Ring, Cabinet Member for Business saying, “These are high-quality homes that I think are an excellent addition to the town. I look forward to seeing new residents move in.”

Image from Rightmove

But Verity worries they’ll be empty for a while, “The council’s shot itself in the foot by saying yes you can have it now as a second home, but by the way you’ve going to have to pay double council tax.” Changes which were brought in in April. She describes the initial restrictions as ‘nonsense’, “Second home owners are the lifeblood of the town over the summer, love them or hate them they bring a lot of money in.”

Ann, who also lives nearby, thinks the council has been naive. “It’s awful, it’s shocking, I don’t think a lot of thought went into it. You can’t build a block of flats and think that young people around here could afford to buy them at that price. And it’s also now naive to think that they’ll sell as second homes when council tax has doubled. It’s killed the housing market.”

Ann doesn’t think they should have been built in the first place, adding, “The fact that they’re sitting empty after years says it all really."

In a statement West Norfolk Council says, "The Borough Council’s property development programme has been running for more than a decade. In that time, around 900 homes have been built and sold, helping to address the shortage of quality homes in West Norfolk.  It has proved to be a highly-successful venture financially, which has enabled us to continue working on addressing housing need in the borough.

"As with any proposed development, Styleman Court went through a rigorous planning process before it was approved and had to demonstrate that it would be an appropriate addition to the town of Hunstanton. With regard to the pricing of the homes, this is determined by market conditions and independent recommended valuations."

Adding that it remains, "Committed to ensuring the development contributes positively to the local housing market and community. The appointment of Fine and Country renews the council’s plan to bring these homes to market and attract buyers who value the quality, location and lifestyle that they offer."