Work on 919 homes at Hounslow Civic Centre – 50 per cent of which will be affordable – was officially launched last week (Wednesday 25 January), reports Notting Hill Housing Group.
James Murray, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development at City Hall, praised the scheme during a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of building work, and the work between the council and the new Mayor to raise the level of affordable housing it provides. He said:"“I was delighted to attend the ground-breaking event and I’m pleased that we have been able to work together to get this development up to 50 per cent affordable homes to rent and buy. I look forward to seeing this built as quickly as possible to provide much-needed homes for Londoners."
The project falls in one of the first of the Mayor’s Housing Zones, which bring together councils, housing associations, developers and businesses to support plans to build more new and affordable homes in London.
Notting Hill Housing, working with Linkcity, will be providing the new homes at the current civic centre site in Lampton Road, with grant support from the Mayor of London funding an increased amount of affordable housing.
There will be a mix of studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments across 10 buildings varying between three and nine storeys.
Meanwhile, Bouygues UK will be building new civic offices, a library and café for Hounslow Council in nearby Bath Road. The new office will support modern and flexible working practices, with shared offices for council, police and health services right in the heart of Hounslow.
The architect for the civic centre, library and café is Sheppard Robson, with Allies and Morrison responsible for designing the residential development.
Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, said: “We’re delighted to officially mark the start of work on what is a key housing development for the borough, delivered in partnership by the GLA, Notting Hill Housing, Bouygues UK and the council.
“The council is committed to making sure more good quality homes – including affordable homes – are provided in Hounslow, and the fact that half of the homes in this development will be affordable is a huge achievement.
“The added bonus of releasing the current Civic Centre site is that we will gain a new, modern civic building in the heart of Hounslow town centre, which will not only support more efficient ways of working and allow us to improve our services to residents, but deliver a real boost to the local economy.”
Kate Davies, chief executive of Notting Hill Housing, said: “This scheme is one of the best things happening in London and we are really excited to have been chosen to work here alongside Hounslow Council, Bouygues and Linkcity, with substantial support from the GLA, to make Cllr Curran’s vision come to life.
“It’s an audacious scheme, to knock down the council’s civic centre, build it somewhere completely different and put homes up, but to be building affordable housing on this scale is fabulous. There will be lots of housing that’s affordable for local people and I think the public in this area will be thrilled to bits."
“This vision of real genuine partnership over a sustained period, providing nearly 1,000 homes, is a real testament to the hard work that’s already gone on here and we are pleased to be part of it.”
Fabienne Viala, Chairman of Bouygues UK, said: “The start of works is significant for any project, but today is particularly exciting for us on this scheme as it marks the moment when the many months of hard work by our development business, Linkcity, begin to be transformed into a reality by our construction business, Bouygues UK.
“We look forward to continuing to work with our partners at Notting Hill Housing Group, Hounslow Council and the GLA as we bring this important scheme to life, creating exceptional new places to live, work and spend time at the heart of Hounslow.”