Southwark Council has set a target of delivering more than 40,000 new homes over the next seventeen years in plans released this week.
The 40,035 properties would be created between 2019 to 2036 – equating to 2,355 per year – according to the 2022 Southwark Plan.
11,000 extra council homes will be delivered by 2043 as part of this overall housing target.
Areas earmarked for development are Old Kent Road, Elephant and Castle, Canada Water, East Walworth, Blackfriars Road, Bankside and along the Thames, where there is greater accessibility to public transport.
The plan, which was made public on the 23rd of February, introduced a “fast track” route for developments delivering 40 per cent social rented and intermediate housing.
Intermediate housing is a form of affordable housing targeted at people who have little chance of accessing low-cost rented housing, but who are not able to afford to rent or buy on the open market.
The 2022 Southwark Plan reveals the council’s development strategy for the next fifteen years.
It sets out how the council will deliver further development and regeneration of the borough.
Nearly three times as many empty council homes in Southwark now than ten years ago
Southwark, like the rest of London, is facing a housing crisis, with 16,000 households in the borough on housing waiting lists, including 3,200 people who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation.
“We will encourage developments to focus on the strengths of places that make the different areas of the borough distinctive and respect and integrate with the local and historic context and communities,” read the council document.
It also vowed to protect existing schools, provide more green infrastructure and ensure community impacts are taken into account.
The plan also includes the requirement for the provision of a minimum of 35 per cent affordable housing on direct let student housing schemes, as well as the provision of 27 per cent student rooms at affordable student rent.
A number of local groups have questioned if the council’s development plan can be squared with its environmental commitments.
Extinction Rebellion Southwark, alongside 24 other organisations, have claimed the plan breaches the council’s pledge to reach carbon-neutrality by 2030 and worsen emissions in the borough.
“There will be an early review of the plan to set out greater requirements for climate change mitigation and adaption,” read the council document.
The Southwark 2022 Plan can be viewed here.
its good that southwark council think they can build 40,000 new homes by 2036 but that just going to rehouse the people that are on the housing list now what about the rest that go on the list after ,not to be fuuny ive been waiting for a place from the council 13 years and still waiting and ive got a child with autism ,they aint quick to rehouse people ,there lots of empty property but why does it take them to long to fill the empty property knowing there family that have be waiting a long time ,why is it they take there time to fill the papper work on the property ,aint there a way they can speed up where the empty property aint left empty for to long .