Lewisham gets first new council homes in 30 years

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Local Government and also in Development

Lewisham is to get 250 new council homes, the first social housing to be built in the borough for 30 years.

Many on Lewisham's waiting list are families who need larger homes and young people who want their own home but are unable to afford private rental.

Average house prices in the area have risen 250 percent in the last two years, while wages have increased by only 50 percent.

National statistics predict that Lewishams' population could rise by 23,500 people by 2030.

The Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock, gave the go-ahead for the new builds and also revealed his intention that the council continues to work with developers, housing providers and partners across the sector to maximise the opportunities for investment and new homes, and improve the quality of the current housing stock.

He also recommended an analysis of how the council's stock is managed, and by whom.

He instructed officers to carry out a detailed analysis of possible in-fill sites for the new housing and also approved recommendations for officers to start looking at a range of options in more depth, at how the council’s housing stock is managed and run in the future.

Mayor Bullock said: “I'm pleased that we have the prospect of being able to build 250 new council homes in the borough. We need to look creatively at how we provide more homes.

"We already have two fantastic new developments in the Renaissance development at Loampit Vale with L&Q, and the Central Park development with Family Mosaic – developments that offer well-designed, quality new homes both for private buyers and social housing tenants.

“We also need to look to the future and how we can provide adaptable and desirable housing for our older residents; homes that will stand the test of time and be fit-for-purpose in 10, 20, 30 years’ time.

“Changing how we manage our social housing stock is also a key priority for the council. More and more these days residents want a say in how their council homes are run and maintained.

"And quite rightly so. Resident engagement is a key part of what we’ll be doing in the coming months and years in Lewisham, asking people how they want to see their housing shaped in the future, and how they want to be part of it.”