The construction of a major new housing development in North London has started, with the first phase set to deliver more than 650 homes.
When complete, the Northwick Park regeneration project will in essence create a new small town in the borough, ultimately delivering 1,600 homes alongside new university facilities, a nursery, and an improved road network.
The site is right in the north west corner of Brent, close to Harrow town centre and on the border of the neighbouring borough. The plan, which was first approved in 2021, is a joint venture between developers Countryside Partnerships – part of Vistry Group – and SNG. Called Northwick Parkside, the first phase of the development will deliver 654 homes and is expected to be fully complete by 2028.
Of these 654 homes, just under 50 per cent are set to be ‘affordable’ (323) and funded by the Mayor of London through the Greater London Authority’s (GLA’s) Affordable Homes Programme. Plans outline that these homes are expected to have a range of tenures, including social rent, London Affordable Rent, London Living Rent, intermediate rent (for key workers), and shared ownership.
The remaining properties will be available for private sale or rent, with the private and shared ownership homes expected to launch for sale in Spring 2025, and completion of the remaining homes scheduled to take place from 2026 to 2028.
Brent Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Health and Wellbeing, Cllr Neil Nerva, added: “This is an exciting step in the redevelopment plan and a fantastic example of council-led place-making community partnership. I’m really pleased that this project will not only deliver much needed new homes, commercial units and a replacement nursery, but also a significant expansion of the University of Westminster Harrow Campus, which includes more space for teaching and sports facilities and student accommodation.”
The first phase of the development ‘will not impact existing properties at Northwick Park’, according to developers, and local key workers including those at Northwick Park Hospital ‘will have the opportunity’ to live in the affordable homes. Dates for when the future phases will get under way have not yet been confirmed but, when finished, will also include public and commercial spaces, as well as a nursery plus university accommodation and teaching facilities.
Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, said: “I’m delighted that the first phase of work has started at Northwick Parkside to deliver 654 new, high-quality homes in Brent, over half of which will be genuinely affordable.”
It should be noted that the affordable housing figure is actually just less than half of the total being built in phase one, rather than more than half as stated by the Deputy Mayor.
Managing Director of Vistry West London called the start of Northwick Parkside a ‘significant milestone’ in delivering affordable homes across London, as well as creating a ‘vibrant community’. Regional Managing Director of SNG, Matt Bird, said the development shows ‘the scale of ambition’ to build the required number of affordable homes.
