01.11.16
Khan promises to fast-track affordable housing on two more TfL sites
Plans to build more affordable housing on land owned by Transport for London (TfL) have gained momentum after London mayor Sadiq Khan identified two new sites.
At Fenwick South, near Clapham North station in Lambeth, there are plans to build a community centre and 55 new homes, all of which are social housing.
There is no obligation to build the homes until 2025, but TfL will fast-track the site, with work beginning in 2017. Part of the project will be built on land owned by Lambeth Council.
The second site, Landmark Court in Southwark, is within walking distance of Borough Market and London Bridge station. It has potential for 25,000sq m of development, including commercial and retail space, and more than 100 homes, of which at least 35% will be affordable. TfL launched the tender for developers today and is aiming to have a partner identified early next year to develop the site.
Khan said that a chronic lack of affordable housing in the capital has undeniably led to Londoners being priced out, with rents they can’t afford and little hope of getting on the property ladder.
“We won’t be able to fix this problem overnight, but I am determined to lead the way by building more new and genuinely affordable homes to rent and buy,” he said.
“That is why it is crucial we get on and start building affordable homes on the hundreds of sites owned by TfL that we know have been sat undeveloped for far too long.”
Khan said that it was “unacceptable” for sites to sit unused when the capital is crying out for more housing and “these two sites are just the next step in fast-tracking public land to deliver homes for Londoners”.
In August, Khan issued a directive to TfL instructing it to ensure that, when it sells a site by Kidbrooke station, at least 50% of any housing built is affordable.
In total, TfL owns 75 sites across 300 acres with potential for 10,000 new homes. London as a whole is facing a housing crisis, with home ownership falling by 13.5 percentage points since its peak in October 2000.
Graeme Craig, TfL’s commercial development director, said the announcement illustrates how the organisation is working closely with the mayor across all its sites to deliver the types of development London needs.
“This includes delivering affordable housing to help address London’s chronic housing shortage whilst also generating vital, non-fare revenue to reinvest in modernising London’s transport network,” he added.
(Image c. John Stillwell from PA Wire and PA Images)
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