Deptford Creekside development tops out
A development on Creekside in Deptford is taking shape as seen by shots from a passing DLR.
In an unusual move, Lewisham Council and Lewisham Homes purchased land after planning permission was granted for 56 flats.
The homes will now all be “affordable” and are set to complete in summer 2022.
However, all being “affordable” doesn’t mean council housing, with only 22 out of 56 being of that tenure.
That’s despite the authority paying £109 million for emergency housing over four years owing to a lack of social homes.
It is still an improvement on consented plans, which were 36% “affordable” housing with just 11 being council homes and the rest shared ownership.
Existing purchases
Most social housing is now obtained in two ways: buying homes off the market at extremely high cost or building new homes on public land at lower cost – with the obvious benefit of a net addition of overall homes to boot.
This third option from Lewisham of purchasing land that already has permission is a concept that we may see more of.
It’s pretty common for Housing Associations to do it – but less so for councils.
The development also includes commercial space at street level.
All homes to be affordable on this development is excellent news. We need more developments to be truly affordable for local people across Greenwich and Lewisham Boroughs. With rents capped at local authority housing allowance rates.
On a separate note with so many new developments in and around Greenwich Town Centre and Greenwich Peninsula.completed or under construction including the recently completed Enderby Wharf devekopment
I am sorry to hear that the Mayor of London/TFL have announced that the 188 bus route North Greenwich to Russell Square which serves North Greenwich Blackwall Lane Greenwich Town Centre and Creek Road is to see it’s frequency cut from Saturday 6th November 2021 with peak hour buses reduced to every 10 minutes.
The cuts to the 188 bus route comes two weeks after the the Mayor of London introduced the extension of the Ultra Low Emissons Zone (ULEZ) was on the 25th October 2021 which charges older polluting vehicles £12.50 per day to drive with in the zone now covers all areas within the North and South Circular Roads which operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Good news if the new homes on this development are to be let at affordable rents. Not so good news if sold under shared ownership a more expensive way of buying a home which normally consist of rent, mortgage and service charge payments each month.