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Robin Dobson explains how Network Rail is partnering with Transport for London’s property company to unlock brownfield sites for housing
The challenge of delivering affordable housing across the UK remains at the forefront of the property industry. Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen the creation of some transformative joint venture partnerships form to help tackle this challenge head-on.
As one of the largest owners of brownfield sites across the UK, Network Rail Property (NRP) is a key strategic landowner for urban housing delivery. By unlocking these brownfield sites, we have the capacity to deliver much-needed housing and drive regeneration across our towns and cities. The blend of regeneration and rail-led skills take us far on the journey when it comes to delivering housing next to our infrastructure, which can be complex. To ensure a high-quality product, NRP has come together with others to form pioneering partnerships to deliver new homes.
NRP announced a key strategic collaboration with Places for London – Transport for London’s (TfL’s) commercial property company. Over the next decade, our partnership with Places for London will see us collectively bring forward 20,000 new homes in the capital. The agreement is a landmark moment, marking the first agreement of its kind between the organisations, with the aim of accelerating the delivery of infrastructure-led regeneration.
Collectively, 14,000 acres of prime location land in London and the South East are owned by Network Rail and TfL, across some 600 stations. As well as major transport hubs, the combined portfolios include extensive retail, office, and operational properties. Under this partnership, new homes, workspaces and neighbourhoods will be created for London’s communities.
The partnership will see us work closely with the private sector. We can’t do it all ourselves, so partnering with organisations, such as the likes of build-to-rent specialist Grainger, as we did in November 2023, ensures the highest-quality product is delivered on our rail-led land.
Affordable housing will also play an important role. More than just delivering homes, this partnership will aspire to generate positive social impact for local communities. Schemes will set out to assist London’s regeneration and support wider economic growth in the capital, with the creation of construction jobs.
With major transport hubs at their centre, our collaboration with Places for London will deliver sustainable homes and commercial property. Our housing projects in the capital, will encourage public transport, walking and cycling to reduce car-based journeys as our stations remain the focal point of communities.
Dozens of sites in London and the South East are already being considered. Developments will be in keeping with local environments, with modern and low-carbon construction methods used to deliver new sustainable homes for Londoners.
From our experience, partnerships are an invaluable delivery and learning experience. They provide a unique window into how different companies operate.
Our partnership with Places for London is by no means our first. Our joint ventures with Solum and Blocwork have delivered more than 15,000 homes over the past five years through turnkey sales and partnerships with local house builders across Bishops Stortford, Guildford, Nottingham and Newcastle. Last November, we announced a fresh build-to-rent partnership, which has the potential to deliver 2,000 purpose-built rental homes across sites in major UK cities with Blocwork and Grainger, with more to come.
Under this partnership Bloc will develop the sites, with Grainger investing, funding and operating the development upon completion.
The partnership has already landed strong success, with The Barnum delivering 348 build-to-rent homes in Nottingham. Offering new studios, one and two-bed apartments on the doorstep of Nottingham train station, the development shows the power of partnerships.
Network Rail might seem like an unlikely solution to the UK’s housing shortage, but our brownfield sites, committed team and strategic locations create the most sustainable development opportunities. Partnerships are central to our delivery; we need joint expertise and collaboration to ensure we deliver housing that truly benefits communities, with more to come.
Robin Dobson, group property director, Network Rail
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