Housing development
We work in partnership with Registered Providers (RP's), housing developers and the Greater London Authority to develop new affordable homes.
Our Housing Development Manager co-ordinates the development activity of RPs and monitors the affordable housing programme to ensure that the properties built meet local needs. Regular liaison with RPs occurs through the Housing Association Forum.
Between 2007 and March 2012, over 570 new affordable homes were built in Richmond upon Thames. They were delivered through a variety of developments such as those at Lower Richmond Road, Strand Drive, Third Cross Road, Becketts Wharf and Sandy Lane.
We expect our RP partners to complete a further 33 new affordable homes by March 2013. These will be located throughout Richmond on a variety of small sites.
We also support the development of affordable housing financially through the Housing Capital Programme and the Affordable Housing Fund. It also works closely with the GLA which provides grant funding support. The GLA’s multi-million pound investments help to provide homes for supported housing, affordable rent and shared ownership sale.
We have agreed a Borough Investment Plan (BIP) with the GLA’s predecessor, the Homes and Communities Agency. The BIP provides a framework that identifies needs and highlights opportunities. It sets out our vision for the borough and identifies areas for potential investment.
Upcoming developments
View upcoming affordable housing schemes
Borough Investment Plan
The Borough Investment Plan
(pdf, 1916KB)
This Plan is currently being revised to provide a vision of our affordable housing programme for 2013-2015.
Our adopted planning policies, requiring provision of affordable housing in the Borough, are set out in the Core Strategy and the Development Management Document.
Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document
Our Draft Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document(pdf, 370KB) (SPD) provides further detail about how these policies are to be implemented. Applicants, agents and developers are expected to use the SPD now it is published.
The SPD expects all developers to ensure that they identify and get Council approval of a registered provider, to support the delivery of affordable housing on site. In this way negotiations on viability will include the resources available to the registered provider to be taken into account early in the planning process. We expect that viability appraisals will need to demonstrate how affordable housing is being maximised, with registered providers optimising their use of all resources including borrowings and grants.
We are sometimes in a position to offer additional resources to support affordable housing delivery. Developers should ensure that there has been early consultation with our Housing Development Manager on the involvement of a partner registered providers, and the potential resources available to support a scheme.
More information
For more details on our affordable housing development programme, or to discuss potential housing schemes please contact:
Paul Bradbury
Housing Development Manager
Telephone: 020 8891 7446
Email: paul.bradbury@richmond.gov.uk