by Simon Fitzsimmons | Jan 20, 2023 | News
NHG plans for Aylesbury regeneration project take step forward
Plans for Notting Hill Genesis’ Aylesbury regeneration have moved onto the next stage with Southwark Council resolving to give planning consent on the site known as Phase 2B.
The application, submitted by the housing association, includes plans for over 600 new homes, commercial and community/learning space, two new public spaces, improved play and sport facilities and wide, tree-lined streets.
The mixed-use development comprises five buildings and delivers 50% affordable housing.
Each of the five blocks is designed by a different architectural practice and these offer a combination of housing types: mansion blocks, higher-rise apartments, courtyard apartments, and maisonettes.
The proposed masterplan for Phase 2B has been designed by Maccreanor Lavington Architects. They are joined by Architecture Doing Place, East, Sergison Bates Architects and Haworth Tompkins Architects
John Hughes, group director of development and deputy chief executive at Notting Hill Genesis said, “We welcome Southwark Council’s decision to approve planning permission for Phase 2B.
“Following extensive consultation with the community we feel satisfied that the plans provide much-needed new housing for the area, balancing the needs of existing residents while encouraging those from outside the area to become part of a well-established, thriving neighbourhood.
“While this is an important milestone, there are a number of further steps which must now be taken before we can start to deliver this project. These include receiving final approval from the Mayor of London and finalising our planning obligations (known as a section 106 agreement) with the council.”
Subject to final approvals, construction is anticipated to begin in March 2023 with site preparation and demolition works.
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Plans for 6,500 new homes, with 50% affordable housing, on London Dockside site
Project plans have been submitted by The Silvertown Partnership for the 50-acre dockside location. They detail how the iconic Millennium Mills building, left derelict and largely disused for around 40 years, will be fully restored and form the centrepiece of the new community.
The £3.5bn development will include canal walkways, a paddle board club and new bridges.
The newly opened Custom House Elizabeth Line Station provides a transport link and is just 15 minutes from central London.
Plans state the new neighbourhood will also be one of London’s greenest, with all homes and commercial spaces supplied with hot water and heating powered through a zero-carbon district heating system.
The Silvertown Partnership is seeking full planning permission for phase one of the Proposed Development, which will include 1,248 new homes, including 610 affordable homes, and 82,328 sqm new commercial space. Outline permission is sought for the remainder of the site.
The Silvertown Partnership, which includes Lendlease, an international real estate and investment group, is working in conjunction with the Greater London Authority (GLA), Homes England and The Guinness Partnership (TGP).
Ed Mayes, project director for Silvertown, Lendlease said: “After months of working together with local residents and our public sector partners GLA, Homes England and the London Borough of Newham, I’m proud to present our vision for this iconic new neighbourhood.
“Silvertown is finally being reimagined as a vibrant new centre for the Royal Docks – a place where people can live and work well, better connected to the water and each other.
“This is a pivotal moment for the Silvertown development, as we reveal plans for a neighbourhood that will create thousands of much-needed new affordable homes and jobs for Newham. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the local community and our stakeholders to make this shared vision a reality.”
Catriona Simons, CEO at The Guinness Partnership added: “This planning application is a big milestone in creating a new future for the Silvertown site. As affordable housing provider for the first phase affordable homes, Guinness is proud to be part of this ambitious and exciting vision for the Silvertown neighbourhood.”
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Planning application submitted for sustainable Cambourne development
The South Cambridgeshire Investment Partnership (SCIP) has entered a planning application for 256 new low carbon homes in Cambourne – including more than 70 affordable, net zero homes.
SCIP is a (50:50) partnership between South Cambridgeshire District Council and The Hill Group.
The planning application is for a new, sustainable residential development with community amenities and public open spaces within Cambourne Business Park in South Cambridgeshire.
The proposed scheme includes 256 new, low carbon, homes, of which 40% (102 homes) would be affordable. 70% of the affordable homes would be earmarked for affordable rent, with the remaining 30% of them being available for shared ownership.
72 affordable homes at the development will achieve net zero carbon through a fabric first approach, with Passivhaus levels of performance. This will be accomplished through high levels of insulation, airtight construction, air source heat pumps for heating and hot water, photovoltaic panels, and energy efficient building services and controls.
The whole development will be entirely gas-free, and each home is designed to help reduce water usage to not exceed 99 litres per person per day, lower than the 110 litres standard required by national building regulations.
South Cambridgeshire district councillor Richard Stobart, a SCIP Board member, comments: “We are aiming for a very high standard when it comes to the site’s green credentials, and this is evident through the plans we’ve submitted.
“Making new homes as energy efficient as possible has never been more important, with rising fuel bills and the cost of living crisis impacting residents across the country. By working together as a partnership and bringing our varied skill sets together, we hope to deliver a flourishing new community, which encourages residents to live more sustainably.”
A public consultation into the plans is underway and runs until Friday 24 February.
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 | Mar 11, 2019 | News
Clarion Housing Group’s latest acquisition is part of their £109m (Gross Development Value) scheme in the Alperton housing zone, which aims to deliver around 650 new homes in the borough over the next three years. From that number, more than 550 homes will be affordable.
The new purchase is for the Minavil House site, on which 251 new homes will be built. The provider says 215 of those will be for shared ownership and 36 will be for affordable rent.
The development, which already has full planning permission, is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
Philip Browne, new business and partnerships director for Clarion Housing Group said: “Clarion has a major role to play in tackling the housing crisis and we are investing £13bn nationally in our development programme.
“London is at the sharp end of the housing crisis and delivering affordable housing in the capital remains an absolute priority for us.”
The Minavil House scheme includes around £8m of grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA).
James Murray, deputy mayor for housing and residential development added: “We are working with partners across London to build more social rented and other genuinely affordable homes.
“We welcome Clarion’s commitment to building more affordable housing in Brent, and we will continue to work together to tackle London’s housing crisis.”
This new purchase comes as building work is underway on a separate scheme in Alperton. The site, on the disused industrial site at Abbey Wharf, will create 135 shared ownership and affordable rented homes.
Social landlord Clarion has also submitted a planning application jointly with developer R55 to build 258 new homes on a brownfield site on Dudden Hill Lane. The submission comprises 114 shared ownership homes, 54 affordable rented homes and 90 homes for sale.
Through its strategic housing partnership with the Mayor of London, Clarion aims to deliver 5,600 affordable homes across the capital by 2021.
