Two new affordable housing blocks complete for local residents
The delivery of these brand new housing blocks are a testament to the Council’s ongoing commitment to provide secure, high-quality homes for local families on the housing waiting list.
Like most of London, Lewisham is facing an acute housing crisis. With over 2,600 families in temporary accommodation and around 11,000 on our waiting list, the Council is determined to unlock the homes Lewisham needs. To tackle this, we are using all the tools we have to deliver genuinely affordable homes: such as building them ourselves, working in partnership, buying back homes lost through Right to Buy, making the most of smaller plots of land and working with developers and government to explore new ways of unlocking housing.
The Council’s Building for Lewisham programme is on target to exceed the 2022-26 manifesto target of 800 social homes and since starting in 2018, the programme has delivered nearly 2000 homes for residents.
Both Raggett House and David Jones House were once underused garage sites, which have now been transformed into two brand new blocks, providing fourteen beautiful, affordable homes for Lewisham families. All homes have been offered at London Affordable Rent, a social rent which means a three-bed flat will cost roughly £850 per month.
The recently completed Raggett House in Sydenham comprises of four new one-bedroom flats and one full-wheelchair-adapted two-bedroom flat with private outdoor space. There are sustainability elements, such as 12 cycle parking spaces, air source heat pumps, double glazing and a green roof.
Meanwhile, David Jones House in Telegraph Hill has replaced a row of old garages with nine new homes in a well-connected part of the borough. Five of these flats are spacious three-beds, and the rest are a mix of two and one-beds. The design reflects the character of the nearby Telegraph Hill Conservation Area, using traditional London stock bricks, deep window reveals and sandstone details to enhance the local streetscape.
Smaller-scale developments –such as these, play a vital role in addressing the housing shortage. Lewisham has recently been selected as London’s lead borough for a ground breaking government-led national pilot aimed at unlocking the potential of these underused sites.
Councillor James-J Walsh, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Regeneration and Planning said:
“Lewisham Council is proud to be leading the way, across London and nationally, in unlocking the potential of small and underused sites. Developments like these show what’s possible: we’ve transformed once-overlooked corners of the borough into places where people can put down roots, and neighbours can see the care and quality that’s gone into every home.
Lewisham residents work hard and deserve a decent, secure, and affordable place to call home. Our Building for Lewisham programme is creative, practical, and firmly focused on delivering housing justice.”
Councillor Will Cooper, Cabinet Member for Housing, Better Neighbourhoods and Homelessness said:
“These brand new, purpose-built, high-quality homes mean more households on our waiting list can move out of temporary accommodation and into a secure, affordable home of their own. We know that secure housing is absolutely key to improving life chances, so providing new homes at genuinely affordable rents will continue to be a top priority for us.”