27% of homes built over the past 12 months were affordable homes

New figures show that Wandsworth is experiencing a house building boom with strong levels of private sector investment and a big increase in the number of affordable homes being constructed.

Comparable figures show that last year there was a significant improvement in housing delivery at all stages of the process, with sharp increases in the number of homes that were completed, building projects that started up and also planning permissions for new homes.

The year saw a 103 per cent increase in the number of homes that builders completed and a 41 per cent rise in the number of start-up projects, compared to the year before. In total 979 dwellings were finished in the 12 month period ending March 2012 with work starting on another 2,160. This is the highest level for a decade.

Planning permission was granted for the construction of another 10,498 homes, bringing the total number in the development pipeline to 17,556.

As well as providing new homes for Londoners, especially those on low incomes, this buoyant corner of the construction sector has created many jobs and provided a much needed boost to the wider economy.

Of the 979 homes built in Wandsworth last year, 27 per cent were affordable. Most were built by private sector developers, but others were provided by housing associations and also by the council which completed its 200th Hidden Home – the innovative scheme that transforms vacant space on housing estates like storerooms and laundries into modern and attractive affordable homes.

The major schemes that completed last year included 214 new homes on the former South Thames College site at Putney Hill, 144 homes in St George’s Grove in Tooting and the Woodmill site at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton, which provided 92 new homes.

Large development sites where wOctober 25, 2012attersea where 806 homes are being constructed, phase III of the Riverside Quarter scheme in Point Pleasant (504 homes), the Arton Wilson Site in Roehampton (134 homes) and the Enterprise way site in Osiers Road (125).

Affordable housing schemes that completed last year included a site in Rectory Lane, Tooting, where 46 rental homes were built for low income families and the 144 homes in St George’s Grove which are aimed at key workers.

Over the next three years there could be as many as 3,118 new affordable units built in Wandsworth. By the end of the current financial year, it is anticipated that work will have begun on 455 of these homes and 349 will be ready for people to move into. Of these, 57 per cent will be available for rent and 43 per cent for shared ownership or intermediate rented housing.

Housebuilding will also provide the key to the regeneration of the Nine Elms area where over the coming two decades 16,000 homes are expected to be built, providing 22,000 jobs during the construction phase and 25,000 permanent ones.

Wandsworth’s cabinet member for housing Cllr Paul Ellis said: “Wandsworth has seen a significant increase in activity across all parts of the housing sector and this is delivering the new homes that local people need. I am especially delighted that the supply of affordable housing is so healthy. Providing a mix of homes for rent and shared ownership is playing a crucial role in helping families on low incomes and also key workers like teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters who want to get a foot on the housing ladder.

“Part of the reason for this success is the hard work the council has done in helping to create the right environment for this increased economic activity. By working closely with developers, landowners, housing associations and other agencies, we have been able to play a major role in securing these new homes and jobs for people in Wandsworth.”

October 22, 2012