Hounslow deal with rising costs of housing programme

Hounslow Council is committed to building more council homes and made a commitment to build 1,000 new homes by 2022; that target has now been reached, and exceeded by 300 new council homes.

At the Council’s Affordable Housing Committee held on Thursday March 3 2022, the committee made the decision to stop the development of three schemes where the Council were building additional homes above existing council properties. Due to the significant increase in costs both in materials and labour for this type of construction, the decision was made not to go ahead with these schemes, and to look for alternative ways to purchase or build these additional council homes.

The schemes were at:

Field Lane/Brickfield Close in Brentford.
Mercury Close in Brentford.
Mills Row in Chiswick.

Councillor Steve Curran, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Corporate Strategy, Planning and Regeneration, said:

“Although it’s disappointing not to go ahead with these three schemes, it is important that we continue to obtain value for money. I am most grateful to Councillor Katherine Dunne, lead member for Communities & Climate Emergency, who raised these issues with me for the two schemes in Syon ward, Brentford.”

Councillor Katherine Dunne, Cabinet Member for Communities and Climate Emergency, said: “I am pleased that the Affordable Housing Committee has made this decision because of massive increases in the costs of materials and labour. We all know that there is a housing crisis with over 4,000 residents on the housing waiting list or in temporary accommodation. I look forward to these homes being replaced either in Syon ward or elsewhere in the borough.”