Christmas came early for a group of tenants in Gospel Oak this week as they were given the keys to the first new council homes to be built in the area for 20 years.
Cherry Court opened its doors to the new occupants on Monday, providing 67 new homes on the former district housing office site and in Vicars Road.
The development is resident-led, with the Bacton Low Rise Tenants and Residents association (TRA) working in partnership with the council to address poor conditions and problems with energy efficiency for the existing homes on the estate.
Council leader Sarah Hayward attended a Christmas party for the tenants moving in on Monday, where she paid tribute to the residents for the role they had played in the development.
Cllr Hayward said: “This is the first time Camden has been able to build new council homes in Gospel Oak for over 20 years.
“It’s a huge step in the regeneration of the area at a time when we are facing an affordable housing crisis.
“This development is a brilliant example of resident-led regeneration and I’d like to say a huge thank you to the commitment and hard work of the Bacton Low Rise TRA for working with us to deliver this impressive redevelopment scheme.”
Tenant and TRA member, Sarah Robbins, said: “For the first time in 21 years, I will have a new council home with no overcrowding”
The entire redevelopment will ultimately provide 294 new homes. 177 for private sale, 107 will be council homes for rent, and 10 will shared ownership homes, with work being undertaken in three phases.
The original Bacton Low Rise estate will be demolished in the summer of next year, with 226 homes to be built on the site.
This development comes the week after the council expressed serious concerns to the government about the impact of extending right-to-buy to housing association tenants on its ability to build genuinely affordable homes in the future.
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