Flying the flag for affordable housing

The creation of 900 new homes, more than half of which will provide affordable housing, took a step closer last week with a “topping-out” celebration at Lampton Road in Hounslow.

Four flags, representing London Borough of Hounslow, Notting Hill Housing, Bouygues UK and the Mayor of London, were raised to mark the development reaching its highest point, which came just nine months after building work began.

The development, on the site of Hounslow’s current civic centre, will provide a total of 919 homes, with the current first phase made up of 160 affordable properties.

Once a new civic centre is complete in nearby Bath Road, the council’s service will move across and the rest of the homes can be built.

Homes will be a mix of studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments and housing across 10 buildings, varying between three and nine storeys.

A three-way development agreement means Notting Hill Housing will develop the residential element of the scheme while Linkcity will develop the new civic building. Bouygues UK are the main contractor.

Cllr Steve Curran, leader of London Borough of Hounslow, said: “This has been a great team effort from everyone involved. It is fantastic to be here, seeing this brilliant development and looking out over so many London landmarks.

“It is so important for us to have good housing here. We promised residents we’d secure 3,000 affordable homes by 2018 and we are up to 2,760 now – 450 of which come from this scheme. It also meets the Mayor of London’s aim for 50 per cent affordable housing on new developments, one of the first schemes to achieve it.”

Kate Davies, Chief Executive of Notting Hill Housing, said: “To see what has happened here since the ground-breaking in February is fantastic. I’m really proud of what is happening.

“Having boroughs like Hounslow, with a big vision and excellent officers, joining forces with housing associations and companies like Bouygues UK, with a focus on quality and genuinely affordable housing, is vital if London is going to provide developments as good as this and provide the homes needed for low-income households.”

A Bouygues UK spokesperson said: “Housing is an area that we at Bouygues UK are particularly passionate about. The new homes being delivered here with Notting Hill will make a significant contribution to helping Londoners get onto the housing ladder and alleviating the shortage in Hounslow. We’re proud to be working to make the new housing this community needs a reality”.