Planning approval has been given for the next phase of an £800 million residential construction project in west London.
The next phase of the Acton Gardens project will see phases 9.3, 9.5 and 9.6 in the blueprint going ahead. Construction workers will start laying building bricks and blocks in July.
Developer Countryside and social housing provider L&Q are working on the scheme, which involves completely rebuilding the 52-acre South Acton estate with 3,500 new dwellings. Of these, 50 per cent will be affordable housing and there will be more social homes on offer than the old estate provided.
This latest step in the plan will see 215 new homes being built as the scheme completes the Enfield Road Character area, a section designed to act as a gateway to the development from Acton Town Underground station and Bollo Lane. Acton Town is one of several local transport connections, with mainline rail access provided by South Action and Acton Central stations.
Commenting on the planning approval, Countrywide’s managing director for West London and the Thames Valley, Daniel King, said it “will complete the western quarter of our regeneration of the South Acton estate and so we are delighted to have received unanimous planning approval for these much-needed new homes”.
Similar delight was expressed by Darren Parker, the director of project management and development at L&Q. He said: “With new and affordable homes, open spaces and improved community allotments, the latest phases showcase our commitment to creating beautiful places where people can thrive.”
While London has seen a plethora of new housing developments in recent years, including major sites such as Nine Elms on the south bank of the Thames, a lot of large projects have involved not building new homes from scratch on brownfield sites but demolishing and rebuilding historic housing estates, especially those offering local authority housing.
Another project Countryside is working on is the transformation of the Cambridge Road Estate in Kingston, with an 11-year masterplan set to deliver 2,170 new homes, of which 45 per cent will be affordable. The existing estate was built in the 1960s and 70s.
With an expected cost of £485 million, this programme will get under way in the summer with the construction of 452 homes in phase one, which has just been approved.
The project comes after a vote by estate residents found 73 per cent in favour of the revamp. When completed, the new estate will feature 941 affordable homes, 767 homes for social rent, 154 for immediate tenure and 20 for shared ownership. There will also be at least 114 new council homes.
Phase one will include 150 homes for social rent and 15 for shared ownership. Other features will include 1.250 sq m of community space, 290 sq m of office space and 395 sq m of retail or commercial space.
Commenting on the planning approval, housing portfolio holder at Kingston Council Emily Davey said it would be a “boost” for Kingston in terms of the environment, jobs, apprenticeships and affordable homes.
She added: “Residents voted for safer, warmer, greener homes and that is what we can now deliver.“