Housing Regeneration

Havering is launching a £1billion contract to build 3,500 homes across 12 development sites. The Council is seeking to form a Joint Venture partnership with a housing developer to deliver this over the next 15 years. It is important that the partner is committed to building high quality homes and to the Council’s vision for the future of Havering. Representatives want to talk to potential partners who can deliver a step change in housing delivery and share our vision for creating great places. An ethos of partnership and commitment to place and people will be essential to the success of this long-term relationship.

Find out more about the sites: Housing regeneration booklet

To express your interest, or for more information, please visit: www.capitalEsourcing.com

Housing sites interactive map

Building new homes for Havering

This is one of the most ambitious local authority home building programmes in the country. The land being used will remain in Council ownership.

Since Right to Buy started, around 4,000 Council homes have been sold and these need to be replaced.

Many of the 3,500 new homes will be for rent but some will be Low Cost Home Ownership, where the Council retain a share in the property and it must be sold back to the Council when the owner moves. There will also be some properties for sale.

Family homes, with two or three bedrooms, are in particular demand. All the new properties will be built to high standards and be energy efficient, with many having solar panels installed to help keep fuel costs down for tenants.

The intention is to deliver the Housing Regeneration Programme through a Joint Venture Company, half owned by Havering Council and half by a development partner.

The timetable

Since January 2017 a multi-disciplinary team, led by Savills, has been developing information for a competitive dialogue with potential development partners during 2017. A report will be presented to Cabinet in late 2017 so a preferred partner can be agreed.

The Joint Venture Company will be established during the first half of 2018.

Throughout summer and autumn 2018, designs and plans for each site will be prepared for discussion and eventual approval leading to submission of planning applications.

Residents will be able to comment during the planning process.

Work is unlikely to start on any of the sites until late 2018 and the programme will be phased with some sites starting later in the five year programme.

Consultation

In all cases extensive consultation is taking place with residents in the areas where development is proposed and, in many cases, residents’ groups are being formed so they can comment on design ideas and make suggestions for improvements.

One-to-one meetings with most tenants on each regeneration site have been held to identify their individual needs so, as far as possible, these can be met.

For each of the regeneration schemes, and for some of the smaller infill schemes, newsletters are being produced to keep residents informed of what is happening and information pages have been developed on the Council’s website.

Local Lettings Plans are being developed and will be on each website page in due course giving details of how residents can bid for alternative accommodation and the priority they will receive.

Each tenant on each estate will also receive a personal Decant Assessment Form giving details of what they need to do.

Demolition notices

Following a Cabinet decision on Wednesday 12 October 2016, demolition notices were delivered to around 900 properties.

Moving home

From January 2017, properties which have become empty are being examined to see if they meet the housing needs of people being moved from the regeneration estates and, if they match, an offer is made.

If the offer is accepted the move will take place as quickly as possible with the Council providing assistance to residents’ who are moving.

No demolition work will be starting on any of the 12 estates until late 2018 but moves are starting now so that the Council has a better chance of an empty property becoming available which matches a tenants needs.

Homes which become available on the 12 estates due to a secure tenant moving out will be used for temporary accommodation to reduce the need for bed and breakfast accommodation.