More affordable homes pledge:
We will be resourceful and innovative to deliver an increased programme of genuinely affordable quality homes.
Our priority this year:
Secure at least 40 homes per year through traditional land and build procurement and to work with our development partners through an option appraisal process, produce a development programme for our own sites.
Introducing The Wollaston Collection
With haulage and petrol issues as well as Covid-19, Brexit and labour shortages, two of our planned developments, Millen Court in Purley and Angel Oak Point in Croydon were delayed this year.
However, we were pleased to introduce The Wollaston Collection on Tweedy Road, Bromley. We’ve created a stunning development providing 24 two-bedroom homes to the local area, with eight homes for shared ownership, eight for outright sale, five for London Living Rent and three for Discounted London Affordable Rent.
Our goal with our new developments is to provide tenure blind sites, ensuring beautiful homes for everyone, regardless of whether they are renting or buying. The Wollaston Collection fits in with the local area, provides outdoor space, parking spaces and has had some great feedback from residents, buyers and the local community.
Our development team has been working with contractors to make progress on our further two developments, Millen Court and Angel Oak Point. These are due for completion mid-2022 and will provide a further 41 affordable homes in the area, helping us achieve our goal of providing 40 homes a year.
New ways of working
Our goal is to be an approved development partner on our own merit. As a smaller housing association, without a full development team, it is necessary for us to work with other experienced partners to support us when completing the GLA (Greater London Authority) funding process. We have now had our Investment Partner status confirmed by the GLA and have had board approval to work on our partnership arrangements to develop homes in the future.
Design brief
Our design brief is ever evolving. Over the last year, the teams have been working on our Asset Management Strategy, ensuring we consider the rising cost of living, fuel costs and energy efficiency in our new builds. This will benefit residents as the heating systems, for example, will be more affordable, energy efficient and easy to maintain. Depending on the requirements of the funding we receive, we also try to include solar panels and green spaces where we can, helping to meet the Government’s net zero carbon agenda, which, overall, we aim to exceed.
Looking for opportunities
Given the limited number of development sites and competition to develop new homes, we are currently looking at our own land to see if there is any scope to develop new homes on the land that we own.
