Richmond Council sets out strong progress and future ambition on affordable housing

Richmond Council has a growing pipeline of affordable homes and is continuing to enable the delivery of high-quality affordable housing for local people.

With 22 affordable homes completed in the borough this year, the Council is eyeing further growth whilst ensuring that each project meets the highest standards in quality and sustainability, while benefiting the community. 

Councillor Chris Varley, Lead Member for Housing at Richmond Council, said: “Richmond Council continues to play an active role in supporting the diverse needs of our community. Building Foundations for a Fairer Borough is all about making Richmond affordable and ensuring we have accessible housing for every stage of life.
  
“Visiting developments across the borough, I am seeing the real, tangible progress being made. We are making the most of opportunities and building a place where everyone can live in a safe and comfortable home that suits their needs.” 

2025 progress:

• In the 2025 calendar year, 20 affordable homes are starting at Mereway and Meadows Hall, which include social rent, London Living Rent, and supported living
• Construction continues on over 200 affordable homes on sites across the borough, including the former Greggs Bakery site, the Richmond College site, and phase one of the Ham Close regeneration. 

“Regeneration is an incredibly important part of addressing the ongoing housing crisis and enables local authorities, like Richmond, to increase the number of genuinely affordable homes, while improving the quality of existing housing for residents. We’re incredibly proud to be investing in revitalising key areas throughout Richmond.” 

The borough’s Local Plan aims to deliver sustainable growth, high-quality design, and social inclusivity, which is reflected in policies that aim to increase the delivery of affordable housing. 

Deputy Leader of Richmond Council and Lead Member for Finance, Councillor Jim Millard, added: “We are making full use of every available funding stream to maximise the number of homes we can provide. 

This includes unlocking new opportunities with our partners, delivering affordable homes on Council owned sites, and acquiring properties for temporary accommodation to meet the most urgent housing need.” 

The Council’s commitment to increase the supply of genuinely affordable homes, will help ensure residents have access to safe, stable, and well-maintained housing. 

Councillor Varley continued: “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and even prouder of the difference it’s making for local people. Affordable housing is about creating places where people feel safe, comfortable, and can confidently build their lives. 

The Council is determined to keep that momentum going. 

Further information

• The data published by the London Mayor’s office is reflective of Greater London Authority (GLA) funded schemes, where the start on site tranche of grant funding has been claimed by the provider. This doesn’t account for all the affordable housing starts on site in the borough.
• The GLA requires agreed funding criteria to be met before providers can claim start on site and before it will be recorded in their Affordable Housing statistics. Start on site is a pre-agreed milestone which allows providers to access a specific tranche of grant funding. View the detailed requirements 
• Internally, many providers classify a start on site as entering the build contract and the mobilisation phase. This can lead to a discrepancy in reporting whereby some construction programme activities have already begun, but the start on site won’t be captured in the GLA reporting until all funding commitments have been met. Richmond Council reports a start on site once a project has a live construction programme.
• The regeneration of Ham Close is being led by local housing provider RHP who own and manage the homes at Ham Close. This regeneration will provide 452 newly built homes. All the existing social housing will be re-provided, alongside an additional 78 genuinely affordable homes. Richmond Council is expanding genuinely affordable housing within the borough, ensuring residents have access to quality, sustainable homes at prices that align with their needs.