Work has started on an Ealing Council-led project that will provide 92 new affordable homes in Northolt and help tackle the borough’s worsening housing crisis.
84 of these homes will be let at London Affordable Rent, which is priced to suit the budgets of local people on low incomes. Those homes will be available to rent by some of the almost 8,000 families currently on the council’s housing waiting list.
The development, which is located on the grounds of the old Northolt Grange Community Centre, also includes 8 shared ownership properties. This scheme is designed to support aspiring homeowners currently unable to afford to purchase a home on the open market, by enabling them to buy a share of a home and pay rent on the remaining share.
New genuinely affordable homes
It is expected that the homes at Northolt Grange will be ready for their new occupants to move into from spring 2026. The homes are being built with the support of the Greater London Authority (GLA) which is part-funding the development through a £99million grant awarded to the council in 2019.
The development will have a variety of homes, including a pair of 5-storey blocks of 1-bedroom to 3-bedroom apartments, and 4-bedroom houses.
Award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group is leading the construction work on the project. The new homes to let at Northolt Grange will count towards the council’s target of delivering thousands of new genuinely affordable homes to let in the borough by 2026.
The 2,100 new homes completed across the borough in 2022-23 meant that the borough had the highest number of housing completions in London that year. It also had the second highest number of affordable housing completions in London during the same period (1,195). Housing completions were at the highest level on record for the borough.
Have your say on housing
Residents are being invited to give their views on the council’s ambitious new plans to address the affordable homes crisis. The consultation on the council’s draft housing strategy aims to listen to residents and community groups to ensure their priorities are represented.
Councillor Peter Mason, the council’s leader, said: “Working with people across Ealing is essential as we look to make our borough a fairer place to live, and now we want to gather your views on our new plan to tackle the housing crisis. We’ve already got one of the strongest home building records in London, and we want to continue that hard work, providing the genuinely affordable homes that our residents need and helping to build communities full of pride, identity and purpose, across our 7 towns.”
Until Tuesday 30 July, you can take part in a short survey.
‘A safe, secure, affordable place to call home’
Councillor Shital Manro, the council’s cabinet member for good growth and new housing, said: “It’s great to see work starting on more urgently needed new affordable homes for Northolt. The affordable housing crisis has led to the highest ever number of applications for emergency housing to the council because people are at immediate risk of becoming homeless. These new homes will enable local people to continue living in their communities, in thriving new neighbourhoods.”
