Ealing Council has approved a deal to buy 95 new flats at Bollo Yard in Acton, helping more local families into safe, genuinely affordable homes.
They are being built as part of the Bollo Yard development in Bollo Lane, between Acton Town and South Acton. They were previously intended to be sold as shared ownership as well as let at 80% of the market rent.
Instead, all 95 properties will now become socially rented for local people on the council’s housing waiting list, and will be available at even lower rents than originally intended.
This is the council’s third deal to buy homes from a developer in the last 14 months, following agreements reached last year in June to buy almost 200 homes in Southall and 110 new homes in Acton.
Access to an affordable home
The council’s decision reflects the ongoing challenges facing housebuilding in London. With labour, materials, and borrowing costs rising sharply because of the cost of living crisis, the number of new homes being built by councils and housing associations in the capital fell by 91% between 2022 and 2024.
Private sector developers are also finding the financial viability of projects challenging, and sales rates are slow.
This latest agreement will help to meet the continuing demand for more affordable homes in the borough. There are currently more than 6,000 households on the waiting list for a council home, and thousands of people are living in temporary accommodation like bed and breakfasts while they look for a longer-term place to live.
The development will provide a mix of 1, 2, and 3-bedroom homes. Demolition work has started at the site and the development is expected to be completed in 2028.
Once ready, the new homes will provide modern, energy-efficient places to live for local families, at rents they can afford. On average, Ealing Council’s rents are less than a quarter of the cost of equivalent private rents.
Building for the future
Councillor Louise Brett, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for safe and genuinely affordable homes, said: “By buying homes and letting them to local people at genuinely affordable rents, we are taking decisive action to tackle the borough’s ongoing housing crisis.
“Good homes are more than just a place to live – data shows that by providing a firm foundation, they will make health, good jobs, qualifications, and a happy family life all easier to obtain for the families who move in. Once completed, these high-quality new homes will help us in our mission to create communities filled with pride, identity, and purpose, where people can thrive.”
Image credit: DMWR Architects
