Construction
Construction starts on affordable homes in Sydenham Work has begun on the first new homes funded through London’s Community Housing Fund.
into zero-carbon homes in Greenwich
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Councillor Anthony Okereke, the Royal Borough of Greenwich cabinet member for housing, visited tenants at a new zero-carbon council home development.
The project is said to be 100% genuinely and permanently affordable, with each home sold at a price linked to local incomes. This means that homes will be around half the market price for homes in the same neighbourhood.
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fter their seven-year campaign for permanently affordable homes, local people celebrated with deputy mayor of London for housing and residential development, Tom Copley, and deputy mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres, as construction work started.
The homes are being delivered by London Community Land Trust, which is working with its local members and residents to deliver the homes. Community land trusts (CLTs) are set up and run by ordinary people to develop and manage homes, as well as other assets. CLTs act as long-term stewards of homes, ensuring that they remain genuinely affordable, based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier. The funding from the GLA is £990,000 in the form of a grant and comes from the Mayor of London’s £38m Community Housing Fund, which is expected to unlock 500 community-led homes by 2023 by making grants and loans available to support building, development and delivery. Some of the funding has also been earmarked to provide financial help for potential costs such as those associated with the submission of planning applications or design fees. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “All too often London’s communities are negatively impacted by the capital’s housing crisis. I’m delighted that our Community Housing Fund is now giving Lewisham residents the opportunity to take control of their housing destiny and build the high-quality, permanently affordable homes they deserve. “This shows what can be achieved when community builders work together with City Hall and local councils. I look forward to seeing the progress of this and other community-led housing projects across London in the years to come.” Mayor of Lewisham, Damian Egan, said: “We are very proud to be supporting this community land trust, which will help deliver permanently affordable homes for Lewisham residents as part of our Building for Lewisham programme. “This is a great example of the community, alongside Citizens UK, working together with the council to deliver change and help tackle the housing crisis.”
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First tenants move
he eight family homes at Kyle Mews in Coldharbour are among the first to be completed as part of the council’s Greenwich Builds programme, and have recently been shortlisted for the prestigious Constructing Excellence Awards in the sustainability and best overall development categories. Touring the development, Cllr Okereke praised the sympathetic design and sustainability features such as solar panels, heat pumps and green roofs, which help the environment and reduce running costs for tenants. He was particularly impressed by the scheme’s three-bedroom wheelchairaccessible home, which exceeds required space standards and has its own accessible parking space. The homes at Kyle Mews are among more than 300 now approved or under construction, with 750 council homes due for completion by 2024. Cllr Okereke said: “It has been great to meet the tenants and heart-warming to see how all the hard work that’s being put into Greenwich Builds is paying off in the form of these wonderful council
homes for local people. We wish them all the best for the future and look forward to seeing tenants moving into hundreds of other Greenwich Builds council homes soon.” Cllr Danny Thorpe, leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “The exemplary homes at Kyle Mews represent the high standards of quality and sustainability we’re achieving across the borough with our Greenwich Builds programme. Housing is a top priority for the council and we’re so proud that we have more than 300 truly affordable council homes either approved or under construction.”
❛❛It has been great to meet the tenants and heart-warming to see how all the hard work that’s being put into Greenwich Builds is paying off in the form of these wonderful council homes for local people.
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