How Westminster is delivering affordable homes in the heart of the capital

The past few decades have seen council housebuilding all but grind to a halt, but we are seeking to reverse this trend. To evidence this, Westminster is currently forecasted to complete or start 1,265 affordable (social and intermediate) homes in the city, of which 800 will be council homes for social rent.

These plans have been enabled through aligned political support, strong collaboration with planning colleagues and meaningful community engagement.

Our recent announcement of our new joint venture partner at our flagship Church Street scheme – where we intend to build up to 1,150 homes – demonstrates our intent and our eagerness to work with like-minded partners that share our ambition.

“The past few decades have seen council housebuilding all but grind to a halt, but we are seeking to reverse this trend”

Westminster has a well-developed affordable housing pipeline with new council homes for social rent being delivered across the borough. The 300 Harrow Road scheme – a stone’s throw from the Little Venice area of London, near Paddington – saw homes earmarked for sale converted to family-sized homes for social rent.

Completed at the end of 2023, 300 Harrow Road was initially intended to provide 112 homes of various tenures for local residents. However, the decision was later taken to set aside 77 homes for social rent and 35 for London Living Rent levels, making the scheme 100% affordable.

This was our first major development completed under the council’s ‘Fairer Westminster’ strategy and includes a new community hall, flexible workspace, canal-side café and extra green space. It also aligns with our net zero strategy and residents will benefit from air source heat pumps, solar panels, rainwater collection and living roofs, resulting in lower energy bills and reduced carbon emissions.

A Fairer Westminster must be one that works for all, and one scheme that epitomises how our strategy works in action is our Church Street development. In the surrounding area of Church Street there are 16,000 people living within less than a square mile and unemployment stands at 8.8%.

After a successful planning process, where we completely redesigned the detailed element of the application to encompass the second staircase requirement, even before legislation had come into force, we’re now soon to choose a development partner for a major regeneration project. This will begin with the first site with more than 400 new homes delivered and the prospect of continuing the delivery over the coming 10 years.

The role of the council’s planning department is integral as Westminster handles more than 12,000 planning applications every year – more than anywhere else in the UK.

“Following a period of consistent and open community engagement we were able to build a strong relationship with local residents and they now have an optimistic view of the project”

With all of our schemes, we have taken a committed approach to nurturing meaningful community engagement.  

This was important in our project at Ebury Bridge, a 1930s redbrick estate that contained a multitude of issues such as poor energy efficiency, lack of noise insulation and anti-social behaviour. Following a failed scheme (which had received planning permission, won a successful resident ballot and yet couldn’t attract a development partner), we were required to go back to the drawing board.

But following a period of consistent and open community engagement, we were able to build a strong relationship with local residents and they now have an optimistic view of the project. For this scheme, which includes nearly 400 new council homes, residents have the right to return to a new home supported by a dedicated rehousing team and a generous interest-free equity loan for leaseholders.

The scheme includes 212 homes for the open market, with the capital receipts from these being reinvested in new affordable homes.

Beyond Westminster’s internationally renowned landmarks, there is a dire need for affordable housing.  

We stand ready to deliver.

James Green, director of regeneration and development, Westminster City Council