New council homes for Battersea Power Station site

More than 200 council homes are set to be built next to Battersea Power Station as part of a £9bn regeneration of the site.

The homes will be built by 2029 on an undeveloped plot of land on the 42-acre site surrounding the famous south-west London landmark.

It follows an agreement between Wandsworth Council and Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) after BPSDC was called on to provide more affordable housing in the scheme.

A planning application to build the homes has been submitted with a final decision by the council expected in March.

The 203 council homes will be built on land leased by Wandsworth Council and owned by BPSDC, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The council's waiting list in March last year was 11,183, including 3,771 homeless households.

Labour councillor Sarmila Varatharaj said the plan would help families waiting council homes.

She added: "This is news that we should be celebrating."

The Labour-run council's announcement last year it was partnering with BPSDC to build affordable homes marked a major turning point for the regeneration.

The authority had previously fiercely criticised the redevelopment for only agreeing to build 386 affordable homes, or nine per cent, out of roughly 4,000 homes.

The council properties will be in addition to the level of affordable housing already agreed by the developer, taking this to 15%, if they win final planning permission.

They are set to form part of the authority's Homes for Wandsworth scheme, which is due to deliver 1,000 new council homes across the borough by 2029.

A report by council officers said: "The scheme would provide high-quality homes for local people at pace, while supporting greater social integration and inclusivity."

More than 2,200 homes have been delivered so far in the redevelopment, with new cultural attractions and workplaces planned for future phases of the regeneration.

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