HOUSING
Remodelled homes at Copley
SETTING NEW STANDARDS
Copley Close in Hanwell was built
in the 1970s by the Greater London
Council and is a long, narrow
development of more than 600 homes.
A comprehensive council review
identified a need to refurbish and
replace the ageing social housing at
Copley. Residents and businesses were
consulted about the proposals with
the resulting masterplan winning ‘best
conceptual project’ at the prestigious
London Planning Awards.
Work is now well under way, with
new homes being built – and some
people have already moved in.
‘IT IS AMAZING QUALITY’
Charlotte and Mark Laws and their
children moved into a new house in
Copley in May. They were previously
council tenants in a smaller home on a
different estate in the borough that has
yet to be regenerated. They say it has
made a real difference to family life.
Charlotte said: “When we viewed
it I couldn’t believe it. It is amazing
quality – much better than you usually
find in council homes. It is a better
size for our family too, and we are
ever so grateful. Everyone seems to
be friendly and it is nice to be able to
speak to your neighbours.
“It is so good here that I’m still
waiting for them to tell me they have
made a mistake and we have to leave.”
themselves part of the process of
transformation. This goes beyond
making sure homes are fit for purpose.
It is about a sense of community, too.
We want housing officers, police,
councillors and community groups
around the table, sharing information
and forming partnerships. We
encourage people to come together
and report things like littering, flytipping, dog fouling and other antisocial behaviour. And when they do it’s
important we act quickly to address
those issues.”
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT
COPLEY?
Copley will become a mixed tenure
development – which means a variety
of homes being available for council
tenants, private sale, shared ownership
and affordable rent. All homes will
have the same uncompromisingly
high standard of design, regardless of
whether they are for council tenants,
private rent or sale.
Unusually for a large estate
regeneration project, Copley will
not be transferring into the hands
of a housing association upon
completion. Ealing Council is using its
own resources, and its wholly owned
subsidiary company Broadway Living,
to both fund the refurbishment and
to build new homes for sale and rent.
This allows the council to retain the
value of its land and use the sale of
homes to subsidise the cost of building
more affordable housing.
Councillor Anand added: “Councilowned housing companies like Broadway
Living allow councils greater flexibility.
Indeed, Ealing Council set up Broadway
Living specifically to address the lack of
good quality, public-funded, affordable
rental accommodation in Ealing.”
For more information visit
www.ealing.gov.uk/housing
‘PROUD AND SAFE’
Councillor Jasbir Anand, cabinet
member for housing, said: “It’s
important to realise that places like
Copley are a neighbourhood – a little
part of the world people can call home,
where they want to feel proud and safe
when they open the front door.
“So, on our large-scale regeneration
projects it’s important we secure
community buy-in and make residents
New homes at Copley
around ealing
Autumn 2016
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