News on Camden Call for Ideas

New council homes are a top priority in Camden - Camden Council is now asking residents to identify areas where new council and living rent homes should be built.

Camden’s New Homes for Small Sites Programme will focus on exploring development opportunities on underused council-owned land and use this land to deliver new affordable homes for local people.

We have now launched the first stage of the programme which is our Community 'Call for Ideas’.

The ‘Call for Ideas’ will ask the community to suggest areas of existing council-owned land, currently not in use as housing, which could be used to provide additional homes.

Our residents know their community best, which is why we want to work closely with local people so that they have the chance to tell us what their community needs and give them the opportunity to help shape the future of the programme.

Cllr Danny Beales, Cabinet Member for Investing in Communities, Culture and an Inclusive Economy, said : “Residents have told us that they want the council to build as many genuinely affordable homes as we can, as quickly as we can. Through our New Homes for Small Sites programme we will be doing exactly that.

“Camden prides itself on delivering new homes in collaboration with our residents and we will be asking them to tell us where we can build new council and affordable homes on small poorly used sites on our land. Residents know their estates and areas best. They will often know of disused spaces, garages and shed in poor repair that could be used more effectively.

“At a time when only 6 per cent of Camden’s funding for building and refurbishing homes comes from central government, we must continue to look for innovative and exciting new ways to deliver the affordable homes our residents need. We intend to make some sites available to local community land trusts and self-builders so that they can follow-suit and also build more community-focused housing while helping to provide the vital funding we need to deliver 100% affordable housing on other sites delivered by Camden.

“This is about creating a shared vision and legacy for our estates with new investment and new homes that are high quality, sustainable, genuinely affordable and will meet the needs of local residents now and for years to come.”

Delivered as part of the council’s Community Investment Programme, the programme will also provide wider improvements to estates where new homes are built, and the council will seek to work on the delivery of some of the homes with small and medium sized enterprises and community-led developers.

Following the community ‘call for ideas,’ additional engagement will commence on specific sites that will enable detailed conversations with residents before the Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve a final selection of small sites for development.