Build London Partnership completes eight new, affordable homes for Ekaya Housing Association in Croydon

Senior figures from the GLA, Croydon Council, Ekaya Housing Association and L&Q gathered on Tuesday 30 November to celebrate the official opening of Schumann Court; one of the first completed developments with the Build London Partnership (BLP).

The development in Croydon features 100% affordable housing (including three London Affordable Rent and five London Living Rent units) and six car parking spaces.

The BLP unlocked land that used to be a single-occupancy house and created eight, new affordable homes sold at cost price to Ekaya, meaning families could access quality homes and essential services.

Ben Laryea, Chief Executive at Ekaya Housing Association, said:

“I am delighted to see Ekaya delivering these fantastic new homes for our community. Affordable housing is in short supply, so it’s important that we all do our bit to address this.

''This is our first scheme through the Build London Partnership with L&Q and we look forward to delivering more new homes in future. It is also really important to me that we honour the legacy created by our founding members. We have done that by naming this scheme after Marion Schumann, a founding member of Ekaya.

"I would like to thank the GLA for its support, Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing for officially opening Schumann Court, and all our partners who worked with us on the delivery of these beautiful new homes."

Ekaya Housing Association currently manage over 450 units of accommodation throughout London, providing quality support and residency to predominantly single, black women in housing need. Together with the Build London Partnership at L&Q, Ekaya have been able to develop genuinely affordable homes for their residents.

Vicky Savage, Group Director of Development and Sales at L&Q, said:

“It was fantastic to celebrate the opening of Schumann Court with our partners at Ekaya, the GLA and Croydon Council. Ekaya was a pioneering member of the Build London Partnership, so it was a special moment seeing these beautiful homes completed and ready for occupation.

“Three years in, the Build London Partnership’s impact is starting to be felt. We look forward to continuing to support smaller housing associations grow, whilst delivering much needed new homes to help tackle the capital’s housing crisis.”

Ben Laryea and Vicky Savage at the opening of Schumann Court

Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, said:

"I was delighted to attend the opening of Schumann Court and mark an important milestone in the development of the Build London Partnership.

This vital programme backs community-focused housing associations such as Ekaya to deliver the genuinely affordable homes that Londoners so desperately need. I look forward to following the progress of Ekaya and our other BLP partners and congratulate them on their work so far.”

With an ambitious target to start 300 new homes by 2023, the Build London Partnership is making strong progress, with a current GLA investment of £7.2m across 93 homes with a pipeline of 116 and 45 partners to date.