Brighton’s New Homeless Shipping Container Complex is deemed an overwhelming success by its residents and the Brighton Council!
The containers were purchased at a discounted rate from a Dutch company. The shipping container homes were originally used as an initiative in Amsterdam. However the project’s funding fell through so they wanted a quick sale.
The containers and the land are being leased to Brighton Housing Trust for five years by a company called QED Property Developers. The company has so far invested £900,000 of capital into the scheme which indicates they have a long term plan for the site.
The rental fees for each unit are 650 per month therfore QED stand to net over £1.4 million in five years. So everybody wins, homeless people get a home for five years and QED make a nice profit. Once the lease is up they will simply be moved to another site. That’s the beauty of shipping containers, when the need arises they can be picked up and moved quickly and easily.
The charity was granted planning permission to keep 36 units at the site for five years which was originally a scrap metal yard. BHT Chief Executive Andy Winter has stated a recent survey had confirmed the containers had been a great success overall. The previously derelict site is now a vibrant lively place for people to live.
QED Property Developers plan to move the containers after Brighton Housing Trust’s five-year lease expires. This will make the prime site available for lucrative development of office blocks and luxury apartments.
