Camden reaches housing milestone with topping out of 139 new homes in Kilburn
Camden celebrated the topping out of 139 new homes on Abbey Road in Kilburn at a ceremony held yesterday (Thursday 13 March).
The topping out ceremony marked the completion of the building structure which will see 139 more homes and three commercial units built in the west of the borough - 46 of these being affordable homes.
Part of Camden’s Community Investment Programme (CIP) – the Council’s leading house building programme – this development is another step in Camden’s drive to build more much-needed council homes and will be part of the 4,850 homes set to be built in the borough, of which 1,800 will be affordable council homes.
This marks the final stage of the redevelopment, delivered in partnership with Wates, which transformed a car park and underused land into 280 brand new homes – 206 more homes than previously built on the land - a new GP surgery, community centre, improved public spaces and a supermarket.
These 139 new homes are in addition to the 141 homes, of which 66 are affordable, that were built on the Abbey Road site when the first phase of the development completed in 2019.
As a council, we are committed to building more affordable homes for people in Camden and this marks us being one step closer to increasing the number of much needed homes in the west of the borough.
Building more homes through our ambitious Community Investment Programme is one of the ways we are responding to the housing crisis and developments like this help us to address our housing waiting list and ensure that people can continue to live in Camden, in high quality and energy-efficient homes they can afford.
Paul Nicholls, Regional Managing Director for London, Wates Residential said: "Having delivered the first two phases, we’re proud to be in the home stretch with Phase 3 – completing the transformation of Abbey Road into a thriving neighbourhood. This development is bringing much-needed, high-quality, and energy-efficient homes to Camden, ensuring more people can live in the community they love. This project shows what great partnerships can achieve, and we can’t wait to see the final piece of the puzzle come to life.”
The Leader of the Council, Councillor Richard Olszewski joined Camden Cabinet Members Councillor Nasrine Djemai, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Community Investment, Councillor Sagal Abdi-Wali, Cabinet Member for Better Homes and representatives from Wates development and construction at a topping out ceremony at the Abbey Road Estate.
The second phase of the development completed in summer 2022 and included a brand-new health centre as well as a community centre which provides a range of activities and support for all ages in the local area. The Abbey Road development is set to be completed in 2026. All residents who lived on the estate before works took place were offered a brand-new home within the new development.
Camden’s Community Investment Programme includes a number of projects delivered across multiple stages, such as the Abbey Road development, that are now close to completion.
The Agar Grove development is another project under CIP which is near completion. It is the largest Passivhaus scheme in the country, providing energy efficient homes that require low amounts of heating and reduce energy bills by up to 75%.
It is also the biggest project so far under construction in Camden’s Community Investment Programme. Once completed, it will deliver a total of 496 new homes, a shop, café and community hall, gardens and a play area.