Last night (23 February) councillors voted to approve 28 more homes for low cost rent on the former Battersea gasholders site in Nine Elms.
Published on
February 24, 2017
Last night (23 February) Wandsworth councillors voted to approve 28 more homes for low cost rent on the former Battersea gasholders site in Nine Elms.
The five-acre site will now provide a total of 229 new homes for shared ownership and for reduced rents for households on lower incomes, as part of a total of 955 properties to be built.
It means that the scheme, a joint venture between developer St William and National Grid, will now build more than three quarters of its affordable homes for low cost rent, and the rest for shared ownership.
Family-sized three-bedroom homes for low cost rent, and a mix of the one- and two-bedroom ones, will be allocated to households with total incomes of a maximum of between £45,000 and £60,000 – for example, a two-bedroom home will be let at £220 per week – and well below the Mayor of London’s maximum limits of between £60,000 to £90,000 or 80% of market rates.
In addition to the extra housing, the revised planning permission allows for a public square, and more space for a nursery, café and shops.
The four gasholders, the tallest of which reached 95 metres above ground level, were decommissioned in 2013 before demolition began to make way for the proposed development of buildings ranging from two storeys up to 27. Important industrial heritage artefacts, such as the metal shields on the gasholders frames, are being incorporated into the new building or saved for posterity.
The site is located opposite Battersea Power Station and between two Victorian railway viaducts, with the developers contributing £4million for improvements to neighbouring Battersea Park train station, and £30million to the Northern Line Extension and tube stations at Nine Elms.
Like all major developers in Nine Elms, St William and National Grid are included within a wide-ranging local employment agreement to ensure Wandsworth residents benefit from jobs and training roles during the building process and once it’s complete.
Planning committee chair Sarah McDermott said: “This development will turn old industrial land into new housing. Particularly important is that affordable housing will be provided for Wandsworth households earning well below the Mayor of London’s income thresholds.
“Securing major investment for infrastructure such as transport in Nine Elms is vital to the transformation of this previously disused area into an exciting new part of London.”
Nine Elms on the South Bank is set to deliver 4,000 homes for shared ownership and low cost rent in the coming years.
