Transport for London (TfL) and Notting Hill Genesis - working together as part of the Kidbrooke Partnership LLP joint venture - have been given the go-ahead to deliver more than 600 homes, of which 50 per cent will be affordable, in Kidbrooke. This follows the decision by the Deputy Mayor, Jules Pipe, to call in the application and act as the local planning authority.
The development, which has been designed by Glenn Howells Architects, will be built on a vacant four-acre site in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and will deliver 619 new homes across eight buildings. The new homes will be a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom properties. The affordable homes being delivered as part of the plans will be a mixture of shared ownership and London Affordable Rent.
As well as providing new homes, the proposals for the site will improve and provide new amenities for the community, such as an improved transport hub and a new village square. The village square will offer the community fresh spaces to shop, eat and relax with a new café and convenience store. The plans for Kidbrooke, which look to sustainably regenerate an underutilised brownfield site, also incorporate nature as part of their design with new green walkways and parts of the existing woodland being retained.
The site benefits from its proximity to the Zone 3 Kidbrooke national rail station and the bus stops on Kidbrooke Park Road.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, provided additional funding from London's business rates to allow TfL to bring forward plans for a new bus route in Kidbrooke near the site, which was launched on Saturday, following community consultation. Running between Kidbrooke Village and North Greenwich via Blackheath Royal Standard, the 335 bus route connects new homes in the area to the key transport hub at North Greenwich.
The proposals will support the local economy by providing 2,200 sq. m of non-residential space, which will be a mixture of a new nursery, retail and commercial space. This includes eight new business units, which will be suitable for a range of companies including small start-ups and those in the creative industry. The site will also boost employment with hundreds of jobs estimated to be required during the construction phase of the project, which is expected to begin in 2020, and more than 120 permanent jobs anticipated on site once the work has been completed.
John Hughes, group director of development at Notting Hill Genesis, said: "We are delighted to have been given the go-ahead for this exciting new development. Our vision is to create a high-quality, mixed-use development which completes the new local centre at Kidbrooke and contributes positively to the regeneration of the area for the benefit of the whole community.
Alongside the creation of thoughtfully designed buildings, extensive public realm, business space and new amenities, we look forward to delivering 619 much needed new homes, half of which will be either London Affordable Rent or shared ownership, to meet London and Greenwich's significant housing need.
Graeme Craig, Director of Commercial Development at TfL, said: "Kidbrooke offers us a great opportunity to deliver homes the capital desperately needs and we are delighted to have been given the green light to take our proposals forward with Notting Hill Genesis. As well as providing hundreds of new homes, of which half will be affordable, our plans will deliver new and improved amenities for the community and support the economy of the area by providing fantastic new retail and commercial space and job opportunities. The development will also generate vital revenue to reinvest into the transport network."
Umesh Luharia, Studio Director at Glenn Howells Architects, said: "We are very excited that Kidbrooke Station Square will create an attractive and vibrant new place to live and will be integrated into local transport that includes trains and buses at its heart. Delivering affordable homes is vital for London and this development will provide 50 per cent housing along with high quality spaces, public realm and architecture. We are creating a sustainable development within which people can truly work live and play."
This site forms part of TfL's wider housing programme, which has an ambitious target to start on TfL sites with capacity for 10,000 homes by March 2021 as well as a commitment to deliver 50 per cent affordable housing across all sites brought to the market since May 2016. Construction has already started on more than 740 homes as the programme continues to build momentum, with up to 1,000 homes expected to be started on site by the end of this financial year and the majority of schemes expected to start in 2020/21.