Ealing Council has struck a deal to buy almost 200 homes at a housing development in Southall, to rent to council tenants.
The new homes are currently being built at Berkeley Homes’ Green Quarter development in the heart of Southall. They are expected to be finished and let by early autumn 2026.
In total, the council is buying 180 homes from the developer, ranging from 1-3 bedrooms in size. All of these will be let by the council at genuinely affordable rates: 96 at social rent, with the remaining 84 at London Living Rent. Both of these rent packages are priced well within the budgets of local people on low incomes. On average, council rents cost less than a quarter of similar properties rented privately.
A new approach
The council has used a combination of funding to pay for the homes, including a grant from the Greater London Authority’s Affordable Homes Programme 2021-2026 and borrowing.
It marks a change of direction for the council, to buying new homes in bulk to provide urgently needed, affordable housing. And it is looking at doing more similar deals in the future.
The cost of housing in the borough makes it one of the least affordable places to live in the country. In recent years, an unprecedented number of people have asked for emergency help with housing. On average, the council is having to provide temporary homes to around 3,000 families, at huge cost – and there are almost 8,000 households on the waiting list for a long-term council home.
‘Leading the way in tackling the housing crisis’
Council leader Peter Mason said: “This is a bold and necessary step to ensure that local people have access to homes they can truly afford. Now, almost 200 local families will be able to start new lives in safe, modern homes by the end of next year. We’re proud to be leading the way in tackling the housing crisis head-on.”
Councillor Shital Manro, the council’s cabinet member for good growth and new homes, said: “This deal shows what’s possible when Ealing Council acts decisively on one of its key priorities and respond quickly to changing market conditions. It’s a fantastic outcome for some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents and goes a small way to addressing the housing crisis we are facing in the borough.”
