by Kim Pidgeon | Aug 30, 2021 | News
A total of 11,056 new homes across the country were completed by G15 members in 2020/21 despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Out of the 11,056 newly completed homes, 72% were for affordable housing tenures, including 48% being affordable rented homes. The proceeds from the sales of homes completed for the open market and market rent are used to help deliver affordable homes through cross-subsidy.
The number of new homes completed in the last year was the second highest total since 2015/16, only bettered by the 13,356 homes that were handed over in 2018/19.
Alongside the completions, 2020/21 also saw construction begin on a further 10,951 new homes, 85% of which are affordable homes – the highest proportion in the last six years.
The last year saw building works start on the largest number of new social rent homes since 2015/16, with 1,050 homes getting under way.
Meanwhile, new market sale homes fell from 22% of total starts in 2019/20 to just under 12% in 2020/21, whereas the proportion of new homes for shared ownership that started on site is up by around 3% year-on-year.
In terms of location, 60% of starts in the last year were on homes in London, and 64% of handovers were in the capital.
In the first three months of the new financial year (2021/22), a further 1,675 homes were handed over and building work began on 813 homes, 99% of which were affordable homes.
Geeta Nanda OBE, G15 chair and chief executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), commented: “Building the new homes that people across the country so desperately need is incredibly important and these latest figures show the massive contribution G15 members are making to tackling the housing crisis.
“The last 18 months have been some of the hardest I can ever recall, especially with the initial site shutdowns that were required, and the challenges social distancing presented on construction sites. With that in mind, to have delivered the second largest number of new homes in any year since 2015/16 is testimony to the hard work and commitment of our colleagues and partners.
“We’re determined to continue building the new homes people need, including affordable homes. 85% of the new homes we started construction on last year are for affordable tenures, so I’m really looking forward to seeing further progress on delivering those homes in the coming year.
“However, we are seeing some challenges from shortages of labour and materials, which are contributing to rising construction costs. We will continue to work with our contractors and suppliers to mitigate these risks as far as possible, but they do point to longer-term issues that will need addressing, such as ensuring we are training and bringing new people into the construction section at a steady rate.”
by Kim Pidgeon | Nov 7, 2019 | News
Transport for London (TfL) and Notting Hill Genesis have been given the go-ahead to deliver 619 new homes as part of their Kidbrooke Partnership LLP joint venture.
The development will be built on a vacant four-acre site in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The scheme will comprise of eight buildings with the new homes a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom properties. Half of the new homes will be affordable through a mixture of shared ownership and London Affordable Rent.
The green-light on the project follows the decision by the Deputy Mayor, Jules Pipe, to call in the application and act as the local planning authority.
As well as new homes, the proposals for the site include new amenities for the community, such as an improved transport hub and a new village square.
The area, which is described as an under-utilised brownfield site, benefits from its proximity to the Zone 3 Kidbrooke national rail station and the bus stops on Kidbrooke Park Road. It was previously part of an RAF base and was then used as operational land during the construction of the A2. It has since been largely unoccupied, apart from Henley Cross bus stop.
Graeme Craig, director of commercial development at TfL, said: “Kidbrooke offers us a great opportunity to deliver homes the capital desperately needs and we are delighted to have been given the green light to take our proposals forward with Notting Hill Genesis.
“As well as providing hundreds of new homes, of which half will be affordable, our plans will deliver new and improved amenities for the community and support the economy of the area by providing fantastic new retail and commercial space and job opportunities. The development will also generate vital revenue to reinvest into the transport network.”
John Hughes, group director of development at Notting Hill Genesis, said: “Our vision is to create a high-quality, mixed-use development which completes the new local centre at Kidbrooke and contributes positively to the regeneration of the area for the benefit of the whole community.
“Alongside the creation of thoughtfully designed buildings, extensive public realm, business space and new amenities, we look forward to delivering 619 much needed new homes, half of which will be either London Affordable Rent or shared ownership, to meet London and Greenwich’s significant housing need.”
The Kidbrooke site forms part of TfL’s wider housing programme, which has a target to start on TfL sites with capacity for 10,000 homes by March 2021 as well as a commitment to deliver 50 per cent affordable housing across all sites brought to the market since May 2016.
Notting Hill Genesisis one of the largest housing associations in the country, with around 64,000 homes across London and the south-east, serving more than 170,000 residents.
by Kim Pidgeon | Aug 9, 2019 | News
Affordable housing provider Torus has been picked to develop Liverpool FC’s Melwood training ground site.
The housing group currently has 1,600 homes in the West Derby area, where the ground is situated, and manages around 40,000 social homes across the north west.
In 2017, LFC secured planning consent for a proposed redevelopment of the club’s existing training ground at Melwood, as part of plans to invest in a new training facility for the first team and academy sides at Kirkby.
Throughout the tender process, Torus was identified as the best socially responsible housing developer to take over the Melwood site.
Work on the new training ground at Kirkby started in summer 2018 and is expected to be completed in summer 2020. The first team will start the 2020-21 season from their new home in Kirkby.
Andy Hughes, executive vice president, operations and finance at Liverpool FC, said: “Today marks another significant milestone in this hugely important and ambitious project.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sale of the Melwood site having played such a significant role in the club’s history. But the site is limited in terms of space and is unable to accommodate the club’s ambitions for a new first-class combined training facility.
“It’s over two years since we started this journey and we’d like to thank everyone who has been involved, particularly local residents in West Derby for their feedback and patience during this tender process.
“All funds from the sale of the Melwood site will be reinvested back into the first-team squad and the state-of-the-art training centre at the new Kirkby site.”
Torus will continue to consult with the local community as it develops its plans for the Melwood site.
Chris Bowen, managing director of Torus Developments, said: “With more than 1,600 homes in the area, we’re already a long-standing part of the West Derby community, so being selected to develop this site at the heart of the neighbourhood means a great deal to us.
“Consultation with local residents is very important to us and we look forward to meeting with the community in due course. We will also be working closely with LFC to ensure the legacy of this incredibly historical site is a theme throughout.
“Our plans are still at an early stage but will be driven by providing quality affordable homes that address local needs, including specialist housing provision where older people and those with additional care needs can lead sociable, fulfilling and independent lives.”
by Kim Pidgeon | Jun 24, 2019 | News
Government housing accelerator Homes England has published its latest annual housing statistics looking at the period between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019.
The findings show there were 45,692 new houses started on site under programmes managed by Homes England and 40,289 houses completed. These are the highest levels of starts for nine years and the highest levels of completions for four years.
Of the starts on site, 67 per cent were for affordable homes – a 10 per cent increase on 2017-18. Similarly 71 per cent of housing completions in 2018-19 were for affordable homes which is an 11 per cent increase on 2017-18 figures.
A total of 17,772 affordable homes started in 2018-19 were for Affordable Rent – a 4 per cent increase on the previous year. 11,560 were for schemes including Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy – a 24 per cent increase on 2017-18. The remaining 1,231 were for Social Rent – a 12 per cent decrease on the previous 12 months.
Of the affordable homes completed, 18,895 were for Affordable Rent – representing a 4 per cent decrease on the previous year, whereas the 8,854 completed under affordable housing schemes including Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy represent a 75 per cent increase on 2017-18.
Nick Walkley, chief executive of Homes England, said: “At a time where the average house costs around eight times the average income, these are positive signs that the delivery of homes, and particularly affordable homes, is on the up.
“However, there is still a huge amount of work to do to make sure this trend continues. We’re just getting started and need the sector to join us in our mission to make sure we continue to deliver homes across the country for the people who need them the most.”
Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse MP, said: “It’s great to see our housing accelerator has their foot firmly on the gas with nearly 29,000 new affordable homes finished last year.
“Getting these properties built is all part of our cast-iron commitment to making sure everyone has the opportunity to realise the dream of a stable home.
“But there is more to do, and so this Government is providing serious support, including £44 billion of funding and guarantees, to build more, better, faster.”
The figures reflect the latest set of official statistics in relation to housing starts and completions for England, excluding London, for all programmes except those administered by Homes England on behalf of the Greater London Authority.
The list of programmes included in these totals are detailed in the official housing statistics report, which can be found here.
by Kim Pidgeon | May 29, 2019 | News
The regeneration of Beam Park has officially begun, with construction work now underway. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site marking the start of construction and the completion of preparatory work.
London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development James Murray was in attendance, along with senior leaders from Countryside and L&Q.
The east London regeneration project will transform the derelict site of a former Ford manufacturing plant into the new 3,000-home Beam Park site, spanning 71.7 acres.
Charitable housing association L&Q and home builder Countryside are working in partnership to bring the project to fruition.
The development is the second-largest housing scheme in the UK to gain planning permission in 2018. It’s also one of only three regeneration schemes in London delivering 3,000 homes and providing 50 per cent of affordable housing (1,513 homes).
The first phase of the development will deliver 640 new homes and new community facilities, including a medical centre and railway station.
The Beam Park station is located on the C2C line, providing direct links into central London. Phase one will also see the delivery of a primary school and park.
Sales of the new homes are due to launch in May this year, with the first properties ready in 2020. The first phase of the development is due to be finished by 2022, with the full Beam Park scheme due for completion in 2030.
The completed site will include a further school along with retail spaces, a gym, nursery, a multi-faith space and two energy centres.
Andy Rowland, managing director for the east region, commented: “We’re delighted to be celebrating the start of construction works on site at Beam Park.
“This project will bring major benefits to east London, including much needed quality new homes with 50 per cent affordable housing, alongside significant infrastructure improvements and community amenities.
“Working with Countryside, we’re proud to be involved in making such an important contribution to London’s housing needs, meeting strong local demand by creating new homes in a wide range of tenures.”
Robert Wilkinson, managing director of partnerships south (east) for Countryside, added: “We have the incredible opportunity to create a thriving new destination in east London, delivering one of London’s largest housing developments, with 3,000 homes, two schools, community facilities, retail spaces, a railway station and much more.
“Beam Park will undoubtedly have a truly transformative impact across the area with community and the wellbeing at the heart of our plans.
“This site has an incredible history, and we’re looking forward to utilising our extensive track record in regeneration with L&Q to bring this next chapter to life ensuring the legacy is captured while embracing modernity.”
