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Camden commits to build more council and living rent homes

Camden Council’s Cabinet have approved the building of more new social and living rent homes on under-utilised council land.

The Council has identified it could deliver up to 73 new council and living rent homes in the first phase of the New Homes for Small Sites programme..

In total five sites could deliver up to 44 new social rent homes, for families on the housing waiting list, as well as 23 living rent homes for key workers and those struggling to afford to live in Camden. The council will also deliver 6 council supported living homes, which will offer accommodation-based care to support adults with learning and physical disabilities and mental health conditions to live independently.

Camden Council will retain ownership of 100% of the homes built and all homes will be built to the highest standards of design and sustainability. The programme will also deliver wider improvements to the estates where new homes are built.

These new homes will be the latest expansion of the Community Investment Programme, which has built more than 1,250 new homes. It has provided new council homes to over 1,000 residents, including 453 children, many of whom previously lived in overcrowded homes.

Councillor Danny Beales, Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for New Homes, Jobs and Community Investment, said:

"We have over 7,000 people on our housing waiting list including many families who desperately need bigger homes. Our New Homes for Small Sites programme is part of our plan to change that by providing the genuinely affordable, spacious homes that our families need. We’vegone through a thorough engagement process and had lots of conversations with residents on the estates where these new homes will be built. Some residents were concerned about the potential scale of development, how building works would be managed, and what wider estate improvements would be delivered. We are balancing this feedback with the opportunities, committing to deliver estate wide improvements where schemes go ahead, as well as delivering vital new homes. As we move forward with these proposals we will continue to listen to residents and work with them, so that together we can take action to meet the housing crisis in Camden and improve our estates."

The Council will now look to procure a design team to draw up detailed plans of what the new developments will look like. It is expected that new homes will be completed in 2026.

Posted on 23rd February 2023

by Hugh Robinson

New Homes for Small Sites. Thank you for your site suggestions.

The Council will now start reviewing all of the suggested sites and a summary of these findings will be made public in the new year. Once the Council have identified identifies the sites to take forward, an individual timeline of consultation will be set up for each site to make sure the conversation with residents continues.

To get in touch with any questions or concerns in the meantime, please email us on NewHomesSmallSites@Camden.gov.uk.

Posted on 14th December 2022

by Hugh Robinson

Tell us about your ideas for ‘New homes for Small Sites’. 'Call for Ideas' event at Kentish Town Library – Saturday 15th October.

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.

Join us for a tea or coffee and tell us how to make the most out of our underused land by building new and affordable homes.

We have organised a ‘Call for Ideas’ event at Kentish Town Library between 11am – 4pm on Saturday 15th October.

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.

Posted on 7th October 2022

by Rachel Rowson

Camden’s New Homes for Small Sites Programme launches

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.

Posted on 1st February 2022

by Grace Kelly