Brake Farm FAQs

Brake Farm FAQs

Here you will find everything you need to know about Brake Farm, and we’ll be regularly updating this page throughout the project with the latest news and information.  

What is happening to Brake Farm?

We’ve been looking at the future of Brake Farm and have looked at several options for the housing with support scheme, including refurbishing or demolishing the estate.

The welfare of our residents is always our top priority, and the long-term future of the scheme has been considered, as the homes could fall into disrepair, and we want to ensure that Brake Farm can provide supported housing for future generations.

Refurbishing the existing block would mean that we would be looking at short-term measures, with the current block becoming not fit for purpose and inevitably needing to be replaced in the future.

Following recommendations, we have decided that to ensure Brake Farm can provide housing for support for future generations we will look to build a new block of accessible and energy efficient homes for residents with additional needs that will be available for social rent.

This option will allow us to increase the number of homes in the scheme which will ease the pressure on existing housing.

What are you building?

While we are still at the early stages of designing the new homes, we will be creating more homes, which will be accessible and more energy efficient.

We have included some early design ideas for the new housing with support scheme, but more information will be available as we start to design the scheme in more detail, in consultation with residents.

We expect potential completion around 2029, subject to works going ahead as planned.

Will this mean decanting residents?

As part of building the new housing with support scheme we will need to demolish the existing structure, which will mean that we need to move residents out. We are committed to helping and supporting each resident through a personalised decant plan.

New lettings to Brake Farm have now stopped.

How is PCH supporting residents?  

We have dedicated housing with support staff to assist residents through the whole process of securing and moving to their new home. Staff will support residents to register and bid for housing and provide advice and practical assistance at all stages of the relocation process.

We will help residents through the entire process to make it as easy as possible. From helping residents to find a new home, to helping with moving and getting settled in their new home. 

We will be working closely with any other agencies, family or individuals that support current residents.

Residents will be given priority to move to one of the other housing with support schemes in the local area, and will also be given first refusal to move back to Brake Farm, once the new block has been completed.  

Will residents be eligible for compensation?

Residents may be eligible for compensation. We have created a Moving Home Policy specifically for residents at Brake Farm which you can find at the bottom of this page. This will explain the process of how we will help residents move, including the size and type of homes we can offer, how homes are allocated and moving time frames.

As part of this Policy we have set out the Home Loss Payments and Disturbance Allowance that residents may be entitled to.