The three-storey brick housing block, to be built on the site of an unused garage in Westmount Road, will contain seven dual-aspect homes – a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes to be offered at social rent levels. The largest homes will have private gardens.

The project will contribute to phase 2 of the Greenwich Builds programme, which ultimately aims to build 1,750 affordable homes across ‘redundant’ brownfield and infill plots in the borough. Phase two is targeting 22 sites on which to create 152 affordable homes.

Late last year, Adam Khan Architects won planning approval for another project under the Greenwich Builds programme: a 100 per cent affordable scheme across two sites in Wricklemarsh Road and Zangwill Road.

The Westmount Road project is the first of several developments BGA and Sanchez Benton are working on for phase 2, and the practice hopes to get planning permission for more sites in the coming weeks.

BGA director Edgar Gonzalez said: ‘The design team views homes as a fundamental component of a city’s infrastructure, and is proud to contribute to addressing the housing shortage by designing high-standard, energy-efficient 100 per cent affordable homes, that will be built using sensible construction methods.’

All of the homes will be fossil fuel-free with rooftop solar panels and air-source heat pumps incorporated to achieve an 82 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with a building that meets minimum performance standards, according to the practice.

There will be a covered entrance to the block, leading on to a courtyard that serves the ground-floor homes.

Greenwich Council leader Anthony Okereke said: ‘This approval shows that, despite the challenges facing homebuilders across the country, we are continuing to make headway towards our goal of creating 1,750 new council homes through the Greenwich Builds programme.’

So far, 588 ‘low-carbon council homes’ have been completed under the programme, while a further 648 are under construction.

 

Project data

Location Land at Westmount Road, London, SE9 1JB
Local authority Royal Borough of Greenwich
Type of project 100 per cent affordable housing
Client Greenwich Builds
Architects BG Architecture and Sanchez Benton architects
Landscape architect BG Architecture
Planning adviser Robinson Escott Planning
Structural engineer Les Postawa Associates
M&E consultant Ridge
Quantity surveyor Potter Raper
Principal designer BG Architecture
Lighting consultant Ridge
Funding RBG and GLA
Gross internal floor area m² 514
Form of contract and/or procurement Design Build
Annual CO2 emissions 82.6 per cent reduction in regulated CO2 emissions compared to a notional development that meets the minimum Part L 2021 Regulations standards of performance.
Planning application reference 25/1088/F
Visuals Danny Dimbleby