Plans for £50 million development with social housing and homeless shelter in Westminster proposed
By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter
A new homeless shelter and tower block with over 90 affordable homes is set to be built in Westminster.
Development company Stories plans to build a nine-storey homeless facility and 20-storey tower with 94 rent-to-build homes on Harrow Road, North-West London.
If approved, the new shelter will be run by homeless charity St Mungo’s.
The new block would replace an existing shelter at 217 Harrow Road, run by the charity. It would provide self-contained units, emergency accommodation and space for health and wellbeing support.
The development would cost more than £50 million and be funded by creating 94 homes.
Architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has designed the development.
The firm also designed the recently-approved 330-bed hotel at a former taxi rank in Maida Hill.
A spokesperson for the project told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The homeless facility will provide comprehensive services for local people experiencing homelessness
“The build-to-rent aspect, meanwhile, will increase housing supply and provide greater choice within the local rental market with high-quality, professionally-managed homes that include affordable housing.
“More generally, build-to-rent developments have the benefit of providing local authorities with a potential long-term income stream that can then be spent on local priorities.”
Westminster City council will decide on the plans in due course.