A KEY priority for the council is providing the new homes that local people need. We need a good mix of different kinds of homes across the borough – private homes, affordable properties and council homes for social rent.

A major part of our plans to deliver on this is the redevelopment of Cambridge Road Estate in Norbiton. At the end of May we marked the official groundbreaking on site. This is a huge milestone on our journey to delivering safer, warmer, greener homes for both existing residents and those new families who will be able to move onto the estate.

The landmark scheme, which was voted for overwhelmingly by estate residents in 2020, will deliver more than 2,100 homes. These will be a mix of flats, maisonettes and houses, 767 of which will be council homes. That’s 114 more than previously on the estate.

With our development partner Countryside we are not only providing vital new local homes, we are enhancing the design of the estate so it is a greener, safer, more pleasant place to live and visit.

Plans for the redevelopment were drawn up in partnership with residents, and the community is at the very heart of this scheme. Residents have put their faith in the council and to see the plans starting to become a reality is a hugely significant moment for everyone involved. It was fantastic to meet some of those who live on the estate and have been deeply involved in shaping the regeneration at the groundbreaking event and hear what it means to them.

As well as delivering much needed new homes, the regeneration will also help tackle the climate crisis and reduce carbon emissions. These new, high-quality homes will have strong sustainability credentials. We are continuing our work with Thames Water to create England's first district heat network to use heat from sewage treatment. Although the scheme is still in the early stages, the plan is for the heat network to connect to the new homes on the estate, supplying them with energy-efficient, affordable heating.

The regeneration will also have wider benefits, bringing new play areas and community facilities, as well as new jobs and local training opportunities.

Alongside the regeneration of Cambridge Road Estate, we are also delivering more low-cost homes through our Small Sites programme. We are building 101 new, sustainable council homes on four under-utilised sites in the borough.

These new, low-cost rented homes are built to high standards of construction and design. They will reduce carbon emissions and enable residents to live more sustainably. The first of these sites is due to be completed imminently with residents moving in this summer.

Both the regeneration of Cambridge Road Estate and our Small Sites programme are significant steps in our commitment to increase the amount of affordable housing in the borough and tackle climate change. Alongside this, our new Local Plan for the borough contains strong policies to ensure more affordable homes will continue to be built as part of new development projects in the future.