Source: City of Westminster
Westminster City Council has appointed six multi-disciplinary teams to work on potential sites for new housing development.
With demand for homes at an all-time high and an ongoing national housing crisis, the council has made building, buying and providing more affordable homes across the city its top priority.
From 2022 to 2030, the Council will build around 2,000 new homes across the city, with 1,100 of them allocated as council homes for social rent, which is 330 more than in the previous plan.
And now, the Council is exploring options to add to this existing strong pipeline. The Council will work with consultants to assess six sites for their feasibility; including costs, delivery options, overall desirability and how well each project aligns with the council’s Fairer Westminster priorities.
The projects will only move forward if they meet these key criteria, where they then will be discussed with further consultation with residents, businesses and other key stakeholders.
The potential new affordable homes also complements the Council’s wider efforts, including significant investment in temporary accommodation and property acquisitions.
Cllr Ellie Ormsby, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Renters, said:
“Local authorities across the country are exploring ways to build quality, affordable homes on publicly owned land, and this process is an important first step towards delivering this for residents. Demand for social housing is incredibly high in Westminster, with people having to wait many years for a property.
“The teams have been appointed to work up options at the sites which have been selected as they are currently underutilised or in need of significant investment. Development on these sites will allow us to both build more homes and unlock wider community benefits. We will not progress with plans for building unless they meet our criteria, where they will then be subject to scrutiny and extensive engagement, where the views of our residents will be key.”