Ealing Council is now over a third of the way towards its ambitious target of delivering at least 2,500 new genuinely affordable homes for the borough by March 2022.
Work to build 898 new homes for let at genuinely affordable rates by either the council or housing associations has now been started or completed. That means the council is 36% of the way towards its 2500 homes milestone. Over 90% of the new homes will be available as social lets either by the council or housing associations, priced well within the means of local people on low incomes. The other 10% will be let at London Living Rent – a genuinely affordable rent level that allow tenants to save a deposit to buy their own home.
With 1,138 homes in the pipeline for the next three years, Ealing is directly building more council homes for let than any other London borough. It is one of only six councils in the UK to build any homes last year. The ramping up of its building programme means it will directly develop more new homes for social rent in the four-year period to April 2022 than it did in the rest of the century combined.
The remainder of the 2,500 homes will be delivered through the council’s planning system – which will ensure that a percentage of private developments are genuinely affordable.
Among the new developments which have helped the council reach the 500 homes threshold are Sherwood Close, in West Ealing, where the existing estate is being demolished and rebuilt with a total of 319 new homes. The regeneration scheme will take place over three phases, with phase one now completed and occupied.
The homes are being built in partnership with housing association Clarion Housing. Under the deal, Clarion are paying all costs for the homes using land that formerly belonged to the council. The new homes and the land will be owned by Clarion Housing, with the council getting 100% of the nominations to the first lets on the estate. The 71 homes in phase one – a mix of one, two, three and four-beds – include a new home for all council tenants from the demolished Sherwood Close blocks.
Councillor Peter Mason, the council’s cabinet member for housing, planning and transformation, said: “London’s housing crisis is deepening all time, making it harder and harder for many local people to find a home within their means. Just 10% of private rentals in our borough are now affordable for people on low to moderate incomes.
“Our council homes are around 60% cheaper than private rentals, making them the only realistic option for many families. And we’re well on our way to hitting our target of creating the next generation of socially rented homes for Ealing – as part of the most ambitious affordable housing programme in London.”
