Published: Thursday 22 February 2024
Brand new homes for social rent are nearing completion at Acklam Road in North Kensington and will be welcoming new residents by the end of the summer.
How many homes are being delivered?
Acklam Road is one of Kensington and Chelsea Council’s new homes sites which is on track to deliver 20 new social rent homes, including four fully wheelchair accessible properties, alongside 12 market rent homes and community facilities.
Cllr Sof McVeigh, Lead Member for New Homes, visited the site this week to see the progress ahead of the new homes completing in late spring/early summer.
Cllr McVeigh said: “I’ve visited Acklam Road a few times and I’ve been impressed at the pace at which Morgan Sindall have delivered these high-quality, safe and environmentally-friendly homes all of which boast a winter garden. The blend of social and market rent homes reflects our approach to providing a safe and secure home for people on our housing register, delivering affordable homes and fostering a sense of community.”
What other facilities will the development offer?
The site is located next to the Swinbrook Estate, and opposite the Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, both of whom have been involved in developing proposals. Swinbrook Residents’ Association have been working with us to help create a new improved accessible ground floor space which will meet the future needs of residents.The remaining ground floor space is to be taken by Al Manaar to create new facilities for the community including a nursery space and community kitchen which will be used to train local people looking for a career in catering. The community facilities are due to be completed later in the summer.
Cllr McVeigh added: “This development is much more than bricks and mortar. The attention to the design detail to complement the Al Manaar Muslim Heritage Centre which sits opposite and the co-design work with Al Manaar and Swinbrook Residents’ Association means we have a building which will provide the community with first-class facilities.”
How environmentally-friendly is the building?
The design of the building aims to make it more sustainable, better for the environment and cheaper for residents to live in. This is done partly with the air-source heating system, which uses no gas and a minimal amount of electricity to create heat from the outside air, even in the middle of winter. We are also installing thermally efficient windows and doors, to make sure the heat generated can be retained within the building.
Richard Dobson, Morgan Sindall Construction's London Area Director, said: "We’re really looking forward to seeing the doors of Acklam Road open later this year, as it’s going to deliver a long list of benefits for the local area. As well as providing a significant number of high-quality affordable homes, this development will also create valuable community spaces for those living and working in Kensington. We’ve worked closely alongside Kensington and Chelsea Council to ensure that the project achieves all these goals while also meeting a high standard of sustainability and aesthetics.”