Hackney is building – more new Council homes coming to Frampton Park
Even more Frampton Park residents will benefit from a brand new home after the Council’s latest social housing plans were given the green light as part of an investment that will also see improved community facilities on the estate.
The plans for 69 new homes on the Frampton Park Estate, agreed by the Council’s planning sub-committee last night, will see the Council build 23 social rent homes – with first dibs for council tenants on the Frampton Park Estate whose properties don’t meet their needs due to overcrowding or medical reasons.
These add to the 16 brand new social rent Council homes completed at Frampton Park earlier this year, which are now home to long-standing residents from the estate.
A further 12 shared ownership homes will be made available to people living or working in Hackney who can’t afford to buy outright but won’t be prioritised for social housing, with the remainder sold outright to help pay for the project in the absence of government funding for social housing.
The homes are part of the Council’s wider plans for the Frampton Park Estate which will see more than 100 new homes with almost two thirds genuinely affordable; new investment to create a community hub at Elsdale Community Hall; and new affordable workspace for local businesses, start-ups and social enterprises created by converting unused garages at Exbury House.
Hackney is facing a severe housing crisis, and we know that many families on the Frampton Park Estate live in homes that simply don’t meet their needs because they’ve outgrown them or because of their personal circumstances.
These plans will not only give some of these families a modern, suitable and genuinely affordable home within their community, but it is also part of a wider investment to provide better community facilities so the whole estate can benefit.
Despite the challenges caused by Brexit, coronavirus and a continued lack of government funding for social housing, Hackney is building – I’m proud that we’re delivering the next generation of Council homes that will play a vital part in delivering a fair and inclusive recovery from the pandemic.
The new homes will be built directly by the Council through its in-house, not-for-profit housebuilding programme, which is delivering on commitments to build almost 2,000 homes, three new schools and a leisure centre on over 20 sites between 2018 and 2022, with more than half for social rent and shared ownership. Last month the Council secured a £17.5 million boost from the Mayor of London to maintain its social housing drive beyond 2022, which will fund an additional 100 new homes for social rent.
What’s happening at Frampton Park
Genuinely affordable Council homes:
The approved plans include 69 new homes over two sites, with 23 for social rent, 12 for shared ownership and the remainder sold outright to pay for them in the absence of sufficient government funding. These are in addition to the 35 homes completed in early 2021, which included 16 social rent and four shared ownership homes, which are being delivered through the Council’s not-for-profit, in-house housebuilding programme. Find out more at hackney.gov.uk/frampton-park
Investment in community facilities:
New investment will create a community hub at Elsdale Community Hall to ensure that there is an overall improvement in facilities on the estate. Initial proposals have been looking at extending and improving the existing hall to create a bigger and fit-for purpose community hall. Alongside the hall there are plans to create a larger outdoor area which will provide more growing space for the gardening club, new outdoor communal seating areas, a new accessible toilet and a new kitchen. Find out more at hackney.gov.uk/frampton-park
New affordable workspace:
Plans are being developed to create new affordable workspace in the disused garages at Exbury House and will be designed to support start-up businesses, social enterprises and those needing a place to work from instead of at home. The new workspace is being developed as part of a borough wide campaign to take unused estate garages and convert them into accessible workspaces for local residents looking to start a business or grow an existing one. The Council is working with local residents to ensure this benefits the community and works towards a fair recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Find out more at: hackney.gov.uk/garages-to-workspace