Proposals to build 44 new council homes on Peckham’s Lindley Estate were given planning permission last week.
The development will see a new L-shaped block, part of which is five storey, as well as a new landscaped courtyard at 157-177 Commercial Way.
At least fifty per cent of the new homes will be offered to existing tenants who are considered to be in housing need already living in the surrounding area, for example within the existing estate. The remainder will be available for bidding to those on the borough-wide register.
Construction work is expected to begin in spring 2022 with a view to complete in early 2024.
The project is one of Southwark Council’s controversial ‘infill’ developments, as detailed by the News, and has been in development since 2018 when Southwark Council first consulted with the estate’s Tenant and Resident Association.
An existing two-storey block will be demolished to make way for the new development, designed by Pitman Tozer Architects, which includes seventeen one beds, sixteen two-beds, nine three-beds and two four-beds, including a wheelchair accessible home.
During the consultation process, original plans for an eleven-story block were scaled down to five storeys after concerns raised by residents including loss of light and the impact of other large-scale housing developments nearby – including at Bells Gardens.
Councillor Stephanie Cryan, cabinet member for council homes and homelessness, said: “It’s fantastic news that this development now has planning permission and will go ahead.
“This block will provide new council homes in an area where there is a high level of need for affordable housing, meaning that local people will be able to stay close to friends, family and the services they already use”.