Plans for our landmark regeneration project in Ham, South-West London have been approved by Richmond Council’s planning committee.
The proposals for the regeneration of Ham Close were submitted by us and our development partner Hill. The Ham Close redevelopment will include 452 new homes, alongside community facilities and a range of public green spaces.
The redevelopment will replace several outdated blocks of flats built in the 1960s with a range of high-quality new homes. All current tenants of the existing affordable homes will be moving directly into their new home, except for a small number of tenants who’ve been provided alternative housing whilst the development happens before having the opportunity to return to their new homes. There will also be a range of additional affordable and private sale homes, all carefully designed to high standards of energy efficiency. In total 49% of the homes will be affordable, both for rent and Shared Ownership, and 10% will be wheelchair accessible. The neighbourhood will also include a community centre, a new building for community workshop Richmond MakerLabs and a park with play spaces.
This outcome is the result of several years of work between RHP and Richmond Council, alongside extensive consultation with the residents of Ham Close and the wider community.
With the local community at the heart of this project throughout, the focus has been on creating a sustainable new development that meets current and future local housing needs. The raft of benefits generated by the regeneration of Ham Close also includes a £2m social impact fund, opportunities for Apprenticeships and construction jobs for local people and a 23% net biodiversity gain for the site.
David Done, RHP’s Chief Executive said: “It is fantastic news that the council has approved our plans to transform Ham Close. The regeneration will create a better place for our customers and other people that will come to live there in the future. Our customers will massively benefit from moving into fully-modern new homes alongside state-of-the-art facilities and the regeneration will bring so many additional advantages for the local community. I’m particularly proud that issues that matter most to our Ham Close residents and the wider community, including making sure the project is sustainable and creates job opportunities for local people, have been taken into account. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our partners who have worked with us to help us reach this milestone.”
Andy Hill, Chief Executive at Hill said: “We are delighted to receive planning consent for the landmark regeneration project at Ham Close and we are looking forward to gaining final approval from the GLA in due course. We will be working with our partner RHP to finalise matters and move forward immediately to the construction stage. The vision for Ham Close is to create a vibrant and inclusive community for existing and future residents that incorporates sustainable, high-quality homes together with a range of new community facilities and impressive green spaces. We are looking forward to making that vision a reality.”
Councillor Jim Millard, Spokesperson for Housing, Richmond Council adds: “I am delighted that this landmark regeneration project has been approved and can now move forward toward providing the new, healthier and easier-to-heat homes we all want to see for the current residents of Ham Close, with the many additional social benefits including the provision of many more additional genuinely affordable, sustainable homes, a fantastic new community centre, improved public realm and connectivity.
The designs for Ham Close were developed by architect practice BPTW. They worked closely with local architecture practice WR-AP, which has designed the community centre, and landscape consultant LUC.