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Vauxhall City Farm lands funding for new development

Vauxhall City Farm has recently secured development funding through a partnership with the St James Group, which will pay for new facilities at the much-loved farm centre.

Vauxhall City Farm CGI

Published on
October 28, 2013

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Vauxhall City Farm has recently secured development funding through a partnership with the St James Group, which will pay for new facilities at the much-loved farm centre in the heart of Vauxhall.

Planning permission has been secured to use the funding to build brand new facilities at Vauxhall City Farm as well as much needed social housing for Lambeth residents.

Faith Boardman, Chair of Trustees of Vauxhall City Farm said: “We have worked extremely hard to make this project happen and are delighted with the result. This is a crucial investment to develop new facilities at the Farm and a major step towards making our charity more sustainable. We can increase the number of projects we are able to manage and improve the experience we provide for our much loved community. We would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen.”

Vauxhall City Farm attracts over 20,000 visitors a year, delivers educational programs to local schools and charities, has a popular ‘animals out’ programme which allows community groups to enjoy its mobile farm and has a fully accredited riding centre used by disabled people, schools and community groups.

The scheme will also allow for the construction of much needed high specification social housing for residents of Lambeth and specifically cater for families. The original proposal from developers, St James, was for 14 small shared ownership homes at the Eastbury House site, now known as The Merano Residences, which is part of the wider regeneration of the Vauxhall area. However, a rethink has led to the new plan which will result in eight larger homes for social rent, with more rooms overall, just around the corner at the farm. The project has been developed in conjunction by Aseem Sheikh the Managing Director of Base Associates, a Vauxhall based Architecture and Design practice.

Lambeth Councillor, Pete Robbins, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “Family sized homes are badly needed in Lambeth and although these are off site, they are just around the corner, are of better quality and will be for social rent. This is a great example of imagination, collaboration and pragmatism meaning we can look beyond the headline figure on affordable housing, to focus on the quality and type of homes that will be provided for local people.”

Sean Ellis, Chairman of St James Group said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Vauxhall City Farm and the London Borough of Lambeth to provide better facilities for the Farm and affordable homes better suited to the needs of the local community. Vauxhall City Farm is an important and valued local charity and we will continue to support the Farm after this development. We are also committed to developing additional sites on Albert Embankment and the other parts of the Borough to provide much needed homes and jobs. Construction on the City Farm Project is hoped to commence in early 2014”.

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If you require any more information please contact Matthew Lock: matthew.lock@vauxhallcityfarm.org

For additional press information, please contact Tania McNally, Tamarisk Saunders-Davies, Georgia Grey or Sophie Wilkinson at LUCHFORD APM +44 (0)20 7631 1000 or firstname.lastname@luchfordapm.com


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