Housing development in New Cross set to become 100% social housing following Council acquisition

A planned housing development in New Cross is set to deliver twice as many social homes as previously planned – making it 100% social housing – after the development was acquired by Lewisham Council.

Planning permission had previously been granted for 35 new homes to be built on the land at 52-54 New Cross Road, made up of 17 social homes and 18 shared ownership homes for sale. Following the Council’s acquisition of the land, all 35 new homes will now be social homes for families on the housing waiting list.

As well as delivering much-needed social housing, the development – designed by Dowen Farmer Architects – will include new green space, wheelchair accessible homes and cycle storage for 66 bikes, reflecting a continued focus on sustainability, accessibility and tackling the Climate Emergency.

Lewisham Homes will take over development of the site with on behalf of Lewisham Council, with Southern Grove, who developed and obtained planning permission for the scheme, procuring the delivery partner, Charles Edward Ltd. With a lead contractor already in place, construction will begin later this year and the project is expected to be completed in 2024.

52-54 New Cross Road is one of many sites across the borough where the Council is building new social homes, as part of its Building for Lewisham programme - helping to tackle the housing crisis and deliver much-needed homes for families on Lewisham’s housing waiting list.

Cllr Brenda Dacres, Cabinet Member for Housing Development and Planning, said:

"This is another fantastic example of how our Building for Lewisham programme is helping tackle the housing crisis facing London. By acquiring this site, we have been able to increase the number of social homes delivered through the development, resulting in a project that will be 100% social housing. These additional social homes will make a huge difference to families on our housing waiting list and I look forward to meeting some of the new residents once the scheme is completed.”

Ainsley Forbes, Lewisham Homes’ Board Chair, said:

“We’re pleased to be developing this site on behalf of Lewisham Council as part of our joint commitment to delivering new social homes for those in greatest need of housing. The new building is designed to provide a variety of homes to suit the needs of people on the housing waiting list. This includes much-needed larger homes, which will provide stability to some of the 2,500 Lewisham families currently in temporary accommodation. We look forward to welcoming them.”

Tom Slingsby, CEO of Southern Grove, commented:

“We’ve got a track record of going out of our way to improve the proportion of affordable housing in our developments, and we’re delighted that Lewisham Council has been able to go one step further and transform this scheme into social housing in its entirety. We’re particularly proud of the appearance of the building and believe housing of all kinds can, and should, be design-led. Housing waiting lists remain a real problem across the capital and there’s huge potential for local authorities to work more closely with private developers to deliver projects such as this.”