New Council homes for Homerton – landmark regeneration scheme approved
160 modern, high-quality new homes in Homerton will be built directly by Hackney Council in the final stage of the regeneration of the Bridge House and Marian Court Estate after plans were approved yesterday.
More than half of the new properties at Marian Court on Homerton High Street will be genuinely affordable Council homes for social rent and shared ownership, paid for by selling some outright in the absence of any government funding to build social housing.
The proposals, approved by the Council’s Planning Committee last night (Wednesday 6 June), also include a new community centre for local residents and affordable workspace for small businesses facing increasing rents in the area.
Rather than selling land to a private developer, the Council is building, managing (and selling where necessary) all of the homes itself – meaning all new residents will be Council tenants or leaseholders.
Council officers and and the design team from Adam Khan Architects and muf architecture/art have spent the last year working closely with existing residents to design the project, which also includes better public spaces, new walking and cycle routes and tree planting.
The development is the final phase of the regeneration of the Bridge House and Marian Court estate and will replace 75 ageing properties that are uneconomical to repair and do not meet modern standards. All existing secure Council tenants are guaranteed the right to return to a new property in the new development with the same tenancy conditions, with leaseholders offered a fair deal for their home and shared equity in a new property.
In total, the wider regeneration project will deliver 275 new homes built directly by the Council. Forty homes, entirely for Council social rent and shared ownership, have already been completed, with another 75 currently under construction.
Existing plans for this stage of the regeneration, approved in 2012, were shelved last year after the Council listened to feedback, reflected on the priorities of the new Mayor, and decided to explore how it could increase the number of Council homes for social rent it could build on the site. The new plans add 16 more new Council homes for social rent.
Last night’s decision means we’ll deliver even more Council homes for social rent at Marian Court, providing modern, high-quality properties for existing residents as well as homeless families desperately in need of somewhere to call home.
I’m proud that Hackney is building thousands of new Council homes for the residents who need them most, alongside first-class schools and public facilities for their families. Here at Marian Court, we’re also, for the first time, directly creating new affordable workspace for local businesses.
Despite ministers not giving us a penny to build social housing, we’ve already built nearly 350 new Council homes for social rent and shared ownership ourselves, and Marian Court is one of more than 20 sites across Hackney where we’re ramping up construction in the next four years.
Construction is expected to begin later this year and be completed by 2022.
Nearly 13,000 families are waiting for a Council home in Hackney, 3,000 of whom are homeless and living in temporary accommodation like hostels and B&Bs. With house prices and private rents also increasing, Hackney Council is building nearly 2,000 new homes over the next four years, with more than half for social rent and shared ownership, alongside three new schools and a new leisure centre (subject to planning permission).
The Government provides no funding to the Council to build social housing, and its restrictions mean local authorities are arbitrarily limited in the amount they can borrow to fund new Council homes. While continuing to campaign against this, the Council funds new social housing and public facilities by building some homes for outright sale – always marketed to local Hackney buyers first.
The Council’s in-house Hackney Sales team will be marketing all properties for shared ownership and outright sale at Marian Court. To register your interest, visit the Hackney Sales website.