Homes England, GLA and Berkeley sign strategic partnership

Homes England has handed Berkeley a £125m infrastructure loan to move forward three schemes providing 8,000 homes in central London. The strategic partnership between the government’s regeneration agency, the housebuilder and the Greater London Authority will be used to support infrastructure work across the three sites. The three projects are: Twelvetrees Park, Newham. The 26-acre site is being transformed into a mixed-use neighbourhood including close to 4,000 homes, of which 40% will be affordable, a secondary school, park, playground and 177,000 sq ft of commercial space. The funding will support the second of four phases to regenerate the former depot and coach park. Bermondsey Place, Southwark. Nearly 1,400 homes, 40% of which will be affordable, created across a 5.4-acre former light industrial site, alongside a network of public parks, playgrounds, commercial spaces, footpaths and a one-acre civic square. Funding will bring together several parcels of owned land to ignite progress. Beckton Riverside, Newham. Up to 2,800 private and affordable homes, subject to planning consent, will be created under the first phase of delivery across a larger site of 28 acres. Following planning consent, the funding will expedite vital infrastructure works on the former gasworks. Homes England chief executive Peter Denton said: “By pooling expertise and resource through collaborative partnerships we can break down the barriers that are stopping brownfield sites like these from coming back to life with a new, sustainable purpose, ultimately creating better places, more affordable places, where all of a community can live and thrive.” Berkeley chief executive Rob Perrins said: “We are delighted to be working with the GLA, Homes England and the London Boroughs of Newham and Southwark to bring forward much-needed private and affordable homes on brownfield land. This is an important step towards accelerating delivery on these complex sites and we are very proud to be part of this innovative partnership.” Photo by Robin Utrecht/Shutterstock