• 15 out of 20 planned Housing Zones now announced • Significant progress made on affordable housing • Target of 50,000 new homes from Housing Zones within reach The Mayor of London will today (25 June) announce a further four Housing Zones across London, accelerating efforts to deliver the new housing that our rapidly expanding city needs and transforming large swathes of the capital at the same time. The new zones in the boroughs of Havering, Enfield, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets will together deliver over 12,000 new homes, nearly 3,500 of which will be affordable housing. This will bring the number of Housing Zones announced to 15 with a total of 45,109 homes created, 14,055 of them affordable. The Mayor of London has contributed a total of £162 million in funding to the new Housing Zones, which are a collaborative effort between the Greater London Authority, the government and local boroughs to streamline approval processes and fast-track development in areas where it may not otherwise happen. Included in the new Housing Zones will be two brand new rail stations, a large new park, new primary schools, and new retail and entertainment precincts. They will revitalise currently disused brownfield sites and turn them into neighbourhoods where Londoners will work, live and visit. Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “Housing Zones will provide the swift delivery of new homes for Londoners that is so desperately needed and create entirely new, highly-connected urban districts for generations to come. By freeing up empty brownfield sites from lengthy approval processes and providing a funding boost, we can ensure new housing capacity is created in areas where it might never otherwise have happened. I am very pleased that the announcement of four more Housing Zones today brings us within touching distance of our aim to create 50,000 new homes through this innovative scheme.” The announcement was made today at a London First event hosted by BNP Paribas Real Estate, attended by Deputy Mayor for Housing and Land Richard Blakeway. Jonathan Seager, Director of Housing Policy at London First said: “We need to double housebuilding in the capital if we are to keep London a competitive city where people want to live and work. These new housing zones will provide a welcome boost to meeting this ambition.” Rainham and Beam Park Housing Zone in the borough of Havering is one of the biggest development sites at 12 square kilometres, and will include the new Beam Park rail station with 20-minute access into the heart of London. The Housing Zone will include the Beam Park site recently released by the Mayor for development, the largest slab of land that had been in the Mayor’s portfolio. The council plans on creating a new “garden suburb” from former industrial land with 3,457 new homes, 941 of them affordable. Havering Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Value Councillor Roger Ramsey said: “This is incredibly exciting news for the residents in Rainham, and the Borough as a whole. The changes this funding will allow us to implement will have a lasting positive impact on their lives.” Meridian Water Housing Zone in the borough of Enfield will build 3,650 new homes in a development designed to complement the riverside canal district it is situated on. 1,460 homes will be affordable. The Housing Zone will contribute to the development of Meridian Water station (currently Angel Road station) which will have four trains an hour running into central London by March 2018 under the Stratford to Angel Road rail scheme. In early June a procurement process was launched to secure a master-developer for the project. Enfield Council Cabinet Member for Housing & Housing Renewal Councillor Ahmet Oykener said: “The news that Meridian Water has received housing zone status is tremendous news and will give a big boost to this flagship scheme. Our aspiration is to provide 8,000 new homes and 3,000 new jobs in a fantastic waterfront setting in Meridian Water, a development which will help drive the regeneration of Enfield and the wider north London region as a whole. Housing Zone funding will directly support the delivery of the first phase of 3,650 homes.” The Ilford Town Centre Housing Zone in the borough of Redbridge will capitalise on the arrival of Crossrail to the area by building 2,189 new homes, 553 of which will be affordable. Up to 4,000 construction jobs are estimated to be created during the build process and 150 apprenticeships. Redbridge Council Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Planning Councillor Helen Coomb said “Receiving this funding is great news for Redbridge and will allow us to deliver much needed housing in the area. This level of investment from the GLA will bring improved transport along with the arrival of Crossrail and new jobs will boost the local economy and provide great new facilities for our community. It is a testament to the strength of our bid and recognition of our development plans for the Borough.” Poplar Riverside Housing Zone in the borough of Tower Hamlets will initially provide 3,034 new homes and 448 affordable homes over its two phases with capacity to almost double the number of new homes over the life of the zone. Poplar Riverside Housing Zone in the borough of Tower Hamlets in one of the most diverse and highest density areas of London. Located within the London Plan Lower Lea Valley Opportunity Area, the Housing Zone will deliver 3,000 new jobs, two new primary schools, a local park and four new footbridges over the River Lea. Work has already started with the regeneration of the Aberfeldy Estate. Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said: “Over the years, Poplar and the Lea Riverside will be completely transformed. Receiving such a large amount of funding from the GLA to build much-needed housing in Tower Hamlets is a real achievement for the borough. Of course we need to get the detail, including the infrastructure, right. And connectivity between Tower Hamlets and Newham will be greatly improved by the work going on in the Poplar Riverside. This will place Poplar firmly on the map of London – and will deliver real benefits to the people of Tower Hamlets.” The new zones will bring closer the Mayor’s London Plan target of building nearly half a million homes over the next ten years. Up to 20 Housing Zones across London will be announced, and options are being explored to expand the scheme. It aims to deliver 50,000 new homes and over 100,000 new jobs in the next ten years. ends Notes to editors 1. Including the four announced today, there have been fifteen Housing Zones designated so far. Those already announced are Wembley/Waltham Forest, Barking, Bexley, Ealing, Greenwich, Haringey, Harrow, Hounslow, Lewisham and Wandsworth. 2. CGIs of each site are available on request.
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25 June 2015