Green light is given for 600 new homes in Kidbrooke

BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk

Builders have been given the go-ahead to deliver more than 600 homes, of which 50 per cent will be affordable, in Kidbrooke.

This follows a decision by London’s deputy mayor for planning, 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 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.

A statement from the developers, Transport for London (TfL) and Notting Hill Genesis – working together as part of the Kidbrooke Partnership LLP joint venture – said: “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 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.

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 plans will also include 2,200sqm for a nursery, shops and offices in eight new business units. Hundreds of jobs are expected to be created from next year, and more than 120 permanent jobs once the work has been completed.

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.”

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.