Stalled site cash earmarked for London borough's largest housing estate

Published by Ross Macmillan for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

The regeneration of a London borough's largest housing estate has been earmarked for a slice of the Government's £420m stalled sites fund.

The project to transform the Grahame Park estate in Colindale, Barnet is one of 18 schemes to potentially receive funding from the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) £420m 'Get Britain Building' programme.

The fund was unveiled last year as part of the Government's Housing Strategy.

The scheme - which Barnet Council believes is the only one in London to benefit from the programme - will now go forward to the next stage of assessment by the HCA.

Construction is currently under way on the first phase of the project, called New Hendon Village, which is being delivered by 'Choices for Grahame Park' - a subsidairy of housing association Genesis.

Once complete the regeneration will see 2,977 new homes built, along with new community facilities and a public piazza with new shops and restaurants.

The council says the funding would help speed up delivery of the scheme and go towards the building of the next 120 homes.

Barnet Council Leader, Councillor Richard Cornelius, said: “This is potentially very good news as it opens up the chance to accelerate the redevelopment of Grahame Park.

“Although we are already making some real changes there, we would like the scheme to be progressing quicker.”