102 new affordable homes delivered at Excalibur Estate

Lewisham celebrates families settling into their new affordable homes as the Excalibur Estate redevelopment Phase 3 is completed.

With almost 3,000 families in temporary accommodation and 11,000 on Lewisham’s waiting list for social housing, the completion of 102 new affordable homes at Hither Green’s Excalibur Estate marks the start of a new chapter for many families in the borough.?

159 homes have been built to date at the Excalibur Estate as part of a four-phase regeneration scheme to create around 370 new homes on the site. Delivered in partnership the Council’s Building for Lewisham affordable homebuilding programme and leading housing association L&Q, these homes have been supported by funding from the Mayor of London. The Council’s ambitious house building programme, Building for Lewisham, is delivering new social and affordable homes across the borough and since 2018, it has delivered 1,695 homes for Lewisham residents.??

This exciting milestone was celebrated on site with a ribbon-cutting ceremony where the Mayor of Lewisham Brenda Dacres, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness, and Cllr James-J Walsh, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Regeneration and Planning, ward councillors and partner organisations toured the regeneration site.??

?A fully affordable development phase?

Proudly, this phase provides 100% affordable housing - with 63 Social Rent, 18 London Living Rent and 21 Shared Ownership. To make these homes safer and more accessible for our disabled residents, 9 have been fully adapted and 4 homes are adaptable.??

History of the site??

Excalibur was one of the largest prefabricated housing estates in the UK built after WWII and originally comprised 189 bungalows built in response to the severe housing shortage after the London Blitz. By 2006 the old bungalows were no longer fit for purpose by modern living standards. Since then, L&Q and the Council have been working to redevelop the site and provide 370 new homes for residents.???

Our commitment to residents?

From the outset, we prioritised security, affordability, and high-quality housing – to ensure that Excalibur Estate residents who were balloted on the redevelopment benefited. The ballot offer, which was voted for by residents, included:??

• a minimum 2-bedroom home, regardless of assessed need
• protected social rents to maintain long-term affordability?
• lifetime tenancies for security and stability?
• a separate bedroom for every child, regardless of age (up to 4 bedrooms)
• resident freeholders offered a choice of a social tenancy or a shared equity option?

The remaining original tenants have now been offered a new build home – giving them the opportunity to make choices on their home’s finishes - ensuring they feel a sense of ownership and personalisation in their new properties.?

Next steps?

We will continue working with L&Q to bring forward the next stage of the regeneration and deliver the remaining homes as planned. The rest of the social homes to be delivered will be 100% nominated by the Council, ensuring they go to those most in need on Lewisham’s housing waiting lists.?

Mayor of Lewisham Brenda Dacres said:??

“We are proud to be providing a further 102 high quality and affordable homes for local families through our Building for Lewisham programme, ensuring that they have a safe and secure place to call their own.??

"We continue to make the case to government on the need to build more homes, and with over 17,000 homes with granted planning permission in the borough we will continue to work alongside the private sector to ensure that everyone in the borough can have access to a place that they can call home."?

Cllr James-J Walsh , Cabinet Member for Inclusive Regeneration and Planning, said:??

“With nearly 11,000 families on our social housing waiting list, our Building for Lewisham programme is working hard to deliver the homes Lewisham needs.?

“When the post-War Excalibur Estate was first built, Britain had an acute need for housing; and we find ourselves in a not so dissimilar situation in Britain now. That same level of innovation and ingenuity needs to once against be brought to bear, and through ventures such as this we will deliver the next generation of housing needed.”?

Vicky Savage, Executive Group Director for Development & Sales at L&Q, said:

“We are delighted to be celebrating this milestone at Excalibur, after years of hard work and close support from our partners at Lewisham Council. At L&Q, our mission is to deliver homes and neighbourhoods that everyone can be proud of and we are pleased to enable partners, like Lewisham Council, to deliver the affordable housing needed locally.

“The first three development phases we have completed at Excalibur are 100% affordable and we believe this will support the growth of a sustainable and successful community locally.”