Council Snaps Up Flats in Sands End Development
37 units in Chelsea Riverview scheme to be provided as affordable housing
The Chelsea Riverview development is being built next to Imperial Park. Picture: Google Streetview
January 23, 2024
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has opted to purchase 37 flats in a new development near the River Thames, at what the local authority has described as a ‘commercially advantageous price’. The units are among the 110 being built as part of the new Chelsea Riverview development in Sands End.
Approved by the council in 2018, the plans also include more than 1,000 metres squared of office space, with the buildings set to reach up to 10 storeys. The development was originally called Quayside Lodge, though was changed to Chelsea Riverview after SMC Property bought the site following planning consent.
Cllr Andrew Jones, Cabinet Member of the Economy, spoke favourably of the number of family units within the 37 apartments being bought during a recent cabinet meeting, describing them as ‘advantageous’ given the council’s need for such homes.
The purchasing of new properties by Hammersmith and Fulham is key if it wants to hit its affordable homes targets. The local authority is aiming to have 3,000 new affordable homes built or under way over the next four years, and is reliant on acquiring properties within private developments if it is to hit that number.
The provision of affordable housing within the development was part of the approval granted by the council in 2018. The 37 required, which are a mix of 21 social rented homes and 16 shared ownership, are those to be purchased by the local authority.
Across the 37 flats, 17 are one-bed, 11 are two-bed, and nine are three-bed, which council officers wrote in documents ahead of the cabinet meeting ‘supports the council’s objectives under the emerging family housing strategy’.
The officers continued, “The aim of this strategy is to provide a response to the structural shift in household composition in the borough caused by a noticeable decline in households with school-age children, who may have moved out of the borough due to limited availability and affordability of family sized homes in the borough. This structural shift in household composition has had an impact on use-dependant community infrastructure and facilities such as schools, childcare and libraries.”
Conservative councillor Adronie Alford asked when the flats are likely to become available, to which Cllr Jones confirmed there is a possibility of having them ready in May or June this year. While the sums involved were not revealed due to restrictions around financial information, the council’s public documents described the homes as being purchased for a good price. The proposed acquisition was passed unanimously by cabinet members.
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter