New homes and communities
There are currently 323,827 families on the waiting list for a home in London. Currently, this would take 14.6 years to house everyone on this list. We are ambitious to do our bit to help alleviate this housing crisis, and we support the National Housing Federation's (NHF) Plan for Housing.
In 2021, our Board set our new homes growth strategy, aiming to deliver 500 new homes in south London by 2028. To date we have delivered 42 high quality affordable homes, we have 243 in construction, with 65 of these new homes completing by the end of 2024/25. We are currently in discussions to acquire 231 more homes to meet our target. All new homes are all allocated to the local authorities that we work in and that’s why any requests for housing moves aren’t fully within our control.
As well as buying new homes on the open market, we have been working on two innovative projects to support our new homes targets that are detailed below.
Hidden Homes
We have been looking for underutilised space or areas we already own, so we can increase the supply of new homes without the need to buy them, or pay for land. This will allow us to tailor the homes to our resident’s needs, as well as being better value for money. We hope to realise our first affordable homes from this project in Merton in the next few years.
Build More Homes
The purpose of build more homes is to proactively address when our residents housing needs have changed, and we need to relocate them and their families to more appropriate and affordable homes.
These homes are often underoccupied, and the works required to bring them up to new standards are expensive and unviable. Therefore, it makes sense that we sell these properties.
We then use the money from these sales to deliver more affordable homes. To date, 150 new general needs rented homes have been purchased or are currently being built at a ratio of three new homes to every one sold.
Housing Quality
It is important that our new affordable homes are built with high quality and sustainable materials. We are working hard to make sure that excellent design and build quality is inherent in all our new homes, as well innovative ways to reduce maintenance costs and increase their environmental footprint.
Since the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, and the new legislation that came from the subsequent review, we are also focusing on the golden thread of information. This will help us maintain safety, quality and consistency through the design and delivery stages through to occupation and management of our new homes. This will make maintaining our homes more streamlined and efficient.
A resident’s story…
We recently supported a father from Lambeth downsize to a more manageable property as part of our build more homes project.
The ongoing increase in the cost of living meant he was struggling to run and heat his home. This was understandably impacting his quality of life and wellbeing. In addition, he was living with his two adult children who were keen to move out and share their own place but could not afford to rent privately. They contacted Wandle as they wanted their father to move to a smaller, more affordable property in the borough. They also requested a social property they could share together and that was nearby so they could support their father.
“We felt a great sense of relief to know that everything was taken care of by Wandle so my family could just focus on organising and packing our things while they handled the rest. We love our new homes, it’s more than we could have imagined, and the interior work is brilliant. “
By supporting these residents to downsize, they can sustain tenancies that they can afford, and live happier and more comfortable lives. In addition, the sale of their original home allows us to invest back into our communities and services.