The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan visited Newham today to see the kind of family homes which could be provided as a result of £107 million affordable housing funding boost awarded to Newham Council.
Mayor Khan along with Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz, visited two families living in the Florence Road development in Upton Park, a former nursery building converted into seven three bedroom properties. The two mayors were joined by Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development James Murray and Deputy Mayor of Newham, Councillor John Gray.
The Florence Road development is an exemplar design which has been shortlisted for a prestigious Housing Design Award. Architects Bell Phillips incorporated a roof terrace into each three storey building and a unique central light well. It was completed in 2016, providing social rented homes to seven families on the council’s waiting list. It was funded through Right to Buy receipts, borrowing and section 106 contributions.
Kerry Ann Stubbs and her three daughters greeted Mayor Khan on his arrival to the block. She moved into the property in 2016 after waiting seven years on the housing waiting list. The family specifically required a property which was wheelchair accessible and this property met those requirements. The Mayors also met Noorjahan Bibi and Muhammed Kobir Uddin who were on the waiting list for 14 years before they moved into their home. They live with their four sons.
Newham Council recently entered into an agreement with the GLA to unlock £107 million of funding for new genuinely affordable homes. This is the biggest sum awarded in London as part of the Mayor of London’s Building Homes for Londoners and recognises the scale of the housing need in Newham where 28,000 households are on the waiting list and more than 5,000 families in temporary accommodation.
The funding from the Mayor of London will help Mayor Fiaz deliver on her manifesto pledge to build at least 1,000 council homes over the next four years and at least 100 in her first year. So far, she is on track to exceed these ambitious targets as work is expected to start later this year on 227 properties under the Building Homes for Londoners fund.
Mayor Fiaz said: “It was great to welcome the Mayor of London to Newham today and show him the human impact this funding will have on the lives of so many families here. Having access to genuinely affordable quality housing has made a drastic difference to the lives of these two families. It is not just a roof over their head – it is about providing stability so families can put down proper roots and turn bricks and mortar into homes.
“With the housing crisis in London and Newham in particular, this is no time for complacency. We need to explore every possible avenue available to us to ensure we are maximising the number of genuinely affordable homes it is possible for us to deliver. Sadiq has recognised our ambition and rewarded us with the highest grant in London so now it is essential that we deliver these homes at pace.”
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Having grown up on a council estate, I know first-hand the vital role council housing plays in London and I want to see councils building far more homes like those on Florence Road. The families I met had been on Newham’s housing waiting list for many years, and are now in wonderful new homes which suit their needs.
“Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz is leading vital work to tackle the borough’s housing crisis, and with support from Building Council Homes for Londoners – City Hall’s first-ever programme dedicated to new council housing – Newham will start building over 1,000 new council homes by 2022, changing the lives of countless residents for the better.”
The Florence Road development is an exemplar design which has been shortlisted for a prestigious Housing Design Award. Architects Bell Phillips incorporated a roof terrace into each three storey building and a unique central light well. It was completed in 2016, providing social rented homes to seven families on the council’s waiting list. It was funded through Right to Buy receipts, borrowing and section 106 contributions.
Kerry Ann Stubbs and her three daughters greeted Mayor Khan on his arrival to the block. She moved into the property in 2016 after waiting seven years on the housing waiting list. The family specifically required a property which was wheelchair accessible and this property met those requirements. The Mayors also met Noorjahan Bibi and Muhammed Kobir Uddin who were on the waiting list for 14 years before they moved into their home. They live with their four sons.
Newham Council recently entered into an agreement with the GLA to unlock £107 million of funding for new genuinely affordable homes. This is the biggest sum awarded in London as part of the Mayor of London’s Building Homes for Londoners and recognises the scale of the housing need in Newham where 28,000 households are on the waiting list and more than 5,000 families in temporary accommodation.
The funding from the Mayor of London will help Mayor Fiaz deliver on her manifesto pledge to build at least 1,000 council homes over the next four years and at least 100 in her first year. So far, she is on track to exceed these ambitious targets as work is expected to start later this year on 227 properties under the Building Homes for Londoners fund.
Mayor Fiaz said: “It was great to welcome the Mayor of London to Newham today and show him the human impact this funding will have on the lives of so many families here. Having access to genuinely affordable quality housing has made a drastic difference to the lives of these two families. It is not just a roof over their head – it is about providing stability so families can put down proper roots and turn bricks and mortar into homes.
“With the housing crisis in London and Newham in particular, this is no time for complacency. We need to explore every possible avenue available to us to ensure we are maximising the number of genuinely affordable homes it is possible for us to deliver. Sadiq has recognised our ambition and rewarded us with the highest grant in London so now it is essential that we deliver these homes at pace.”
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Having grown up on a council estate, I know first-hand the vital role council housing plays in London and I want to see councils building far more homes like those on Florence Road. The families I met had been on Newham’s housing waiting list for many years, and are now in wonderful new homes which suit their needs.
“Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz is leading vital work to tackle the borough’s housing crisis, and with support from Building Council Homes for Londoners – City Hall’s first-ever programme dedicated to new council housing – Newham will start building over 1,000 new council homes by 2022, changing the lives of countless residents for the better.”