Council Looks To Progress with Commerce Road Project
Scheme would provide around 124 units for social rent
The land is currently used as a storage compound by the developer. Picture: Google Streetview
October 12, 2023
Hounslow Council is looking to move forward with a major project to build social rent housing on Commerce Road.
A forthcoming meeting of the council will be asked to approve a budget allocation of £500,000 to be funded from the Council House Building programme contingency budget to start preliminary work on a scheme that would see up to 124 flats built.
The housing would be situated at the rear of the Brentford Lock West development near the bus garage. The development plot would be transferred to the council from Muse Developments, the company that built the riverside housing scheme.
The money given would be used to appoint architects, planning consultants and other professional consultants to bring forward a planning application.
Outline planning approval has already been given on the site and the land is being transferred as part of a section 106 agreement with the developer with the cost being set at just £1.
The current agreement with Muse means that the site will continue to be used as a compound by the developer until 2025 or 2026 and the building of housing on the plot cannot begin before that time.
The overall Commerce Road development is being built over three phases with the final phase comprising 452 units including the social rent housing planned by the council.
The site to be developed is shown as Block B above. Picture: Hounslow Council
If the requested funding is approved, then it is envisaged that officers will come back to the Cabinet in a year’s time to seek approval for a delivery budget and to appoint a contractor.
It is expected that the scheme would be funded 60% via borrowing and 40% via Right to Buy receipts but the council needs to commence the project by 2025/26 to draw down the latter.
As well as pressure on the housing budget from rising interest rates and other costs, the council is purchasing four blocks owned Shepherds Bush Housing which are used to accommodate young people in the Council’s care. This expenditure was not budgeted for in the original business plan and may add further to pressures on available funding.
At this stage, the Commerce Road social housing scheme is scheduled for planning consent in October 2024 with construction to commence in the final quarter of 2026.
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