Senior government ministers joined the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of London at Kidbrooke Park Road, our borough’s flagship social housing development, as the government unveiled funding for the largest council housebuilding drive in decades.
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner, Minister of State for Housing and Planning and local MP Matthew Pennycook, MP for Eltham and Chislehurst Clive Efford, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development Tom Copley were welcomed to our borough by Councillors Jackie Smith and Tom Creswell for the historic announcement.
The £39billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme is the biggest council housebuilding initiative for generations and will help families stuck in temporary accommodation or waiting lists into safe, good-quality homes.
For the council and other London authorities, the announcement recognises the vital role councils play in addressing the housing crisis. The government’s commitment includes £46 million over three years to help councils across England strengthen their skills, expertise and capacity to deliver more high-quality council homes.
Councillor Jackie Smith, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Greenwich Builds and Estate Regeneration, said: “This programme will be life-changing for anyone stuck on housing waiting lists or in temporary accommodation. Everybody deserves a safe, good-quality home, and this record funding will help communities across England unlock their housebuilding potential, with councils at the helm.
“We welcome that the government will be investing £46million over three years to help councils boost their skills, expertise and capacity to deliver more high-quality homes. We’re a borough that gets things done, and that includes tackling the housing crisis head-on through our own housebuilding initiative, Greenwich Builds.
“The government choosing to launch this watershed programme here at Kidbrooke Park Road is recognition that Greenwich is the place to call home. This is a huge boost to the housebuilding work we are already dedicated to, and we are looking forward to working with the Government and Greater London Authority to deliver more high-quality council homes for our borough.”
Councillor Tom Creswell, Cabinet Member for Planning and Development, said: “Greenwich is aiming to deliver 50,000 new homes by 2040, and the momentous housebuilding drive announced today means social and affordable homes can be the anchor for all our developments. The housing crisis requires bold action and that’s exactly what the government is providing – not only will it empower local authorities to build social housing at scale, but it also gives genuine hope to people across the country in their search for a decent, affordable, and permanent home.
“In our borough, we’ve seen firsthand that realising growth, opportunity and potential is rooted in making sure everyone has a good-quality home to live in. Today’s announcement will ensure that we can continue to invest and build more transformative housing developments like Kidbrooke Park Road – places where our communities can put down roots and thrive."
The award-winning Kidbrooke Park Road development of 452 homes is the largest development of 100% social housing in London. Part-funded by the Greater London Authority, it also forms part of our low or zero-carbon Greenwich Builds programme, our biggest drive to build quality council homes in a generation which has seen 780 of 1,750 new homes built so far for local people on the housing register.
Greenwich Builds represents a continuation of our borough’s exemplary track record on housing delivery, having led the way with Ealing in 2022-23 for completing the most affordable homes in the capital.
The first wave of funding from the government’s Social and Affordable Homes Programme will see more than 70,000 new houses built across England, helping councils, housing associations and other providers replicate Greenwich’s housebuilding ambition.
Notes to editors
- Kidbrooke Park Road (KPR) has previously won an Inside Housing Development Awad for Best Affordable Housing Development over £20m and a Housing Design Award.
- It has also previously been shortlisted for a prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award.
- 26% of homes are three-bedrooms and 10% are designed for wheelchair users.
- The scheme is entirely carbon-neutral, complete with an innovative sustainable energy centre providing heat to all homes.
- The homes are landscaped around a central play area and gardens, while a nursery, more play areas and retail space will follow during the delivery of Phase 2.
- The development will also see 169 trees planted across both phases.
- KPR is part-funded by the GLA, designed by HTA Design and built by Durkan Homes.