Regeneration of Catford’s post-war prefab estate nears completion

The regeneration of an estate which housed Britain’s largest collection of post-war prefabs is one step closer to completion.

The third phase of Catford’s Excalibur Estate regeneration delivered 102 new homes, 63 of which are social rent, 18 at London living rent and 21 are shared ownership.

The milestone was celebrated on site with a ribbon-cutting ceremony where the Mayor of Lewisham Brenda Dacres and councillors James-J Walsh, Mark Ingleby, Kim Powell and Yemisi Anifowose toured the site.  

Mayor Dacres said: “We are proud to be providing further high quality and affordable homes for families through our Building for Lewisham programme, ensuring that they have a safe and secure place to call their own.” 

The four-phase regeneration has seen a total of 159 new homes built on the Excalibur Estate, delivered by the council’s Building for Lewisham affordable homebuilding programme in partnership with housing association L&Q.

Cllr Walsh, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Regeneration and Planning, said:  “When the Excalibur Estate was first built, Britain had an acute need for housing; and we find ourselves in a not so dissimilar situation in Britain now. 

“That same level of innovation needs to be brought to bear, and through ventures such as this we will deliver the next generation of housing needed.”

The Excalibur estate originally comprised 189 bungalows, built from factory-made panels by German and Italian prisoners of war in 1945 and 1946.

Their design followed a strict Ministry of Works template of detached 600sq ft bungalows with two bedrooms, a living room and kitchen, indoor toilet and bathroom and a small garden.

By 2006 the old bungalows were no longer fit for purpose by modern living standards. Since then, L&Q and the council have been working to redevelop the site and provide new homes.

In 2010, Lewisham council polled Excalibur residents, 56 per cent favoured redevelopment. The issue polarised opinion in the area, with pro-conservation campaigners claiming there was no prospect of the council spending money on modernising the prefabs.

Now, with almost 3,000 families in temporary accommodation and 11,000 on Lewisham’s waiting list for social housing, the local authority has hailed the regeneration as “a new chapter” for families in the borough.

Mayor Dacres said: “We continue to make the case to the government on the need to build more homes, and with over 17,000 homes with granted planning permission in the borough we will continue to work alongside the private sector to ensure that everyone in the borough can have access to a place that they can call home.”  

The council said the redevelopment has prioritised security, affordability, and high-quality housing to ensure Excalibur Estate residents who were balloted on the redevelopment benefited. 

The ballot offer, which was voted for by residents, included a minimum 2-bedroom home, regardless of assessed need, protected social rents to maintain long-term affordability, lifetime tenancies for security and stability and a separate bedroom for up to four children, regardless of age.

Freeholders were also offered a choice of a social tenancy or a shared equity option.

Original tenants have now been offered a new build home – giving them the opportunity to make choices on their home’s finishes.

The fourth and final phase of regeneration, which will deliver 211 new homes, is now being brought forward by L&Q and the council.

Pictured top: From left, cllr James-J Walsh, Mayor Brenda Dacres and Vicky Savage of L&Q cut the ribbon to mark the conclusion of the regenerations third phase (Picture: Lewisham council)