Build London Partnership Update

Back in March we embarked on a partnership journey with 9 members of the BME London group of small housing associations. I am delighted to say this programme has now evolved in to the Build London Partnership.

To tackle the housing crisis, we need to be innovative. It is vital we make the most of the space we have in London, not just building new towns like Barking Riverside, but the smaller sites dotted in the nooks and crannies of the city.

This ground breaking programme will unlock these small sites across the capital, sites often left dormant for a significant period of time.

We want to realise the build potential of these places and build homes for people in those communities who are being priced out of their neighbourhoods. Areas they grew up in surrounded by the communities they love. No-one should be forced out of their home town because of the lack of affordable housing.

We now have 23 partners in the Build London Partnership programme, each one with deep roots in their communities and a core value to provide affordable homes for those who need it most. The L&Q Foundation is investing £100m in to the programme which, along with an additional £80m from the GLA, will all go in to building homes for our partners.

Not only are we investing funds, but have also brought together a brand new specialist team to procure the land, build the homes, and nurture the programme.

We are also using this opportunity to share our knowledge and expertise of development and construction by providing training and sharing insight with our partner associations, supporting them every step of the development process from inception to completion.  

We already have 75 homes in the pipeline and the programme aims to start on 1,000 new affordable homes by March 2022.

The programme is growing by the day and we would welcome any other small housing associations to come forward and join us on the journey.

I thoroughly look forward to watching the Build London Partnership programme continue to grow and evolve.

David Montague
Chief Executive, L&Q