Lewisham Borough Council in London, UK, has named The Hill Group as its long-term strategic development partner following the conclusion of a procurement process lasting a year.
The agreement aims to support the delivery of affordable homes, regeneration initiatives and investment across the borough as local authorities seek to address housing need.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The partnership will operate for an initial ten-year period, with the possibility of a five-year extension, and could see up to £1.5bn ($2bn) in construction activity.
With more than 10,000 households on the housing register and approximately 2,450 in temporary accommodation, Lewisham Council has identified the initiative as a step towards addressing local housing shortages by delivering new homes at greater scale and speed.
Unlike previous arrangements where individual developers were appointed for separate projects, this approach will see the council working exclusively with The Hill Group for the duration of the agreement.
The council says this is expected to give it more control over issues such as quality, affordability, sustainability and delivery schedules.
The first projects under the partnership have already begun. These include Thomas’ Lane Yard in Catford, which is set to provide 113 affordable homes. These include 39 for social rent and 74 offered through shared ownership.
Another major scheme, the Achilles Street Estate regeneration in New Cross, is expected to deliver 278 homes, which includes 122 for social rent.
The first two phases of Achilles Street will consist entirely of affordable housing, and the overall project will see at least 62% of the new homes classed as affordable.
Lewisham Council has stated that some of the homes developed through the partnership will remain under council ownership. In other cases, the Hill Group will have an investment role, with the council retaining the option to acquire the affordable units.
The Hill Group founder and chief executive Andy Hill OBE said: “We are delighted to have been selected by Lewisham Council as its strategic development partner and look forward to working together to help deliver the borough’s ambitious housing and regeneration programme.
“What makes this partnership particularly important is the opportunity to combine our expertise in regeneration, placemaking and delivery with the Council’s vision for the future of Lewisham.
“Long-term partnerships such as this create the certainty and alignment needed to unlock technically complex sites, enable more efficient delivery and ensure developments genuinely reflect the needs of local communities.”
The Hill Group has previously worked with public sector partners on long-term regeneration schemes across London and the South East.
As part of the Lewisham partnership, the company has pledged to support job creation, skills training, education and community investment linked to its development activity.
