Construction

Construction starts on

affordable homes in Sydenham

Work has begun on the first new homes funded through London’s Community Housing Fund.

After 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 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. 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.”

First tenants move into zero-carbon homes in Greenwich

Councillor Anthony Okereke, the Royal Borough of Greenwich cabinet member for housing, visited tenants at a new zero-carbon council home development.

The 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.❜❜

Retrofit revolution aims to tackle climate emergency

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has declared a “retrofit revolution” in London, announcing a new package of measures that will make buildings more energy-efficient and tackle the climate emergency.

Led by the mayor working with London Councils and social housing providers, the ambitious new plans will boost London’s Green New Deal mission and sustain and create new green jobs in the capital.

London’s homes and workplaces are responsible for an estimated 78% of the capital’s carbon emissions and virtually all will need some level of retrofitting over this decade. The capital’s social housing urgently needs upgrading to be as energy-efficient as possible, with improvements including better insulation, low-carbon heat and clean power sources such as solar energy required to deliver the mayor’s climate targets and tackle growing fuel poverty.

The mayor’s new innovation partnership aims to make it easier for social landlords and UK building firms to work together to upgrade ageing homes in the capital. The scheme will link up housing providers and builders through all stages of home retrofitting, from planning through to largescale delivery. This will dramatically increase the pace of projects that upgrade cold, damp housing stock to homes fit for the future. The partnership has the potential value of £10 billion in retrofit works, which would create around 150,000 jobs over the decade. The innovation partnership is open to social housing providers across the UK, with an estimated £5 billion or more that could be spent in London. The mayor has also been backed by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for London to create a national retrofit centre of excellence to help social housing providers gain access to funding for major retrofit projects. The centre will build on the Retrofit Accelerator – Homes initiative, which aims to transform the way London retrofits its ageing and energy-inefficient housing to create warm, affordable and ultra-low carbon homes. It will also directly help social housing providers develop plans to improve their chances of being successful through the next round of the £160 million Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

This is part of the necessary work to increase the quality and speed of retrofits, enabling social housing landlords to cut carbon emissions and reduce heating costs for thousands of homes – thereby tackling the growing issue of fuel poverty. Social housing providers across England will be able to access free support from this summer.

The mayor is also working with Solar Energy UK to invest in the solar workforce as more energy is expected to come from this renewable power source in the next decade. A new programme, Solar Skills London, will focus on skills and training to enable Londoners to learn more about solar technologies and help to create more green jobs. Training and apprenticeships will focus on battery storage, electric vehicle charging and related smart technologies. The programme will also include a placement scheme to get trainees into solar businesses and targeted grant schemes to deliver quality training to staff at 100 solar installation companies in London.

Sadiq Khan said: “Creating jobs and tackling the climate emergency are two of my priorities for London and that’s why I’m delighted London is leading the way on a retrofit revolution. With the COP26 summit taking place later this year, it’s vital that we show how London is leading the way with our Green New Deal.

“A strong economic recovery from COVID-19 and a green recovery are not mutually exclusive. This transformative approach to retrofit will directly help those living in ageing, energy-inefficient homes, and could play a vital role in cutting energy bills and tackling fuel poverty. It will also support Londoners with the skills they need for jobs in the green economy, rebuilding our city post-COVID so that it’s cleaner, greener and fairer.”

John Alker, director of policy and places at UK Green Building Council, said: “Improving the carbon performance of our buildings is critical if we’re going to meet our net zero goals and, although an enormous challenge, it also presents a tremendous opportunity. The successful delivery of local retrofit programmes can not only improve residents’ quality of life through upgrading the energy efficiency of their homes and tackling the danger of cold and damp homes, but it can also act as a catalyst for creating green jobs and upskilling the supply chain.”

Chris Hewett, Solar Energy UK chief executive, said: “We are delighted to launch this project with the Mayor of London. Solar power is clean, cheap and easy to deploy. Solar Skills London will help ensure that London’s workforce has the skills and training to deliver these benefits to the capital, supporting a green economic recovery from the pandemic.”

❛❛Improving the carbon performance of our buildings is critical if we’re going to meet our net zero goals and, although an enormous challenge, it also presents a tremendous opportunity. The successful delivery of local retrofit programmes can not only improve residents’ quality of life through upgrading the energy efficiency of their homes and tackling the danger of cold and damp homes, but it can also act as a catalyst for creating green jobs and upskilling the supply chain.❜❜

Brew, make, grow: how Morden Wharf is set to transform a forgotten corner of Greenwich Peninsula

❛❛Critical to U+I’s vision is creating a sustainable community. Morden Wharf is not just about delivering great homes, but bringing residential, work and leisure together. Its variety of workspaces will help create a neighbourhood that reflects the needs of London, both now and long into the future.❜❜