Lambeth continues to face one of the most acute housing crises in the country, with rising homelessness, long waiting lists, and too many families living in temporary or overcrowded accommodation.
The desperate shortage of social housing in Lambeth and beyond follows the national failure over the last two decades to build the new housing our communities desperately need.
In response, the council has re-committed to building more social and affordable homes as part of its borough-wide Building for Lambeth programme.
Since its inception, the New Homes Programme has made substantial headway, securing planning permission and preparing delivery for more than 1,000 new homes, even in the face of rising construction costs, financial constraints and national funding challenges.
Councillor Danny Adilypour, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Investment and New Homes, said: “Every new home delivered in Lambeth is a life transformed – a family moving out of temporary accommodation, a key worker finally able to live near their job, a young person able to stay in the community they love.
“We face deep housing crisis, but we are acting with urgency, creativity and determination.
“By resetting our approach, we have shown that progress is possible even in difficult times – and we will keep going until every resident has access to the safe, secure and affordable home they deserve.”Progress so far includes:
- Securing the development partner for the New Homes Hexagon covering six council-owned sites to build 500 new homes, half of which will be affordable, under a development partnership
- Advancing two major Brixton town centre regeneration projects set to deliver over 600 new homes with two mixed-use developments with 40% and 56% affordable housing, with start on site expected early 2026 and 2027
- Restarted estate renewal schemes to bring forward more homes to the borough and a strengthened pipeline of development opportunities across the borough like the Leigham Court Road development
- Completion of 108 new homes, including 96 social rents
- Started the procurement process for a development partnership to support the large-scale regeneration of Westbury Estate in Clapham
These milestones mean Lambeth is moving at pace to create sustainable, long-term solutions for residents in need.
Central to the programme is a focus on social rent homes, the type of housing that most effectively tackles need and provides stability for low-income families.
After decades of declining national investment in social housing, Lambeth is determined to reverse the trend by prioritising affordability across all new developments.
The council has set a target of at least 600 affordable homes by 2030 on council-owned land, as part of a wider pipeline of approximately 2,000 new homes.
This sits within Lambeth’s broader ambition, outlined in the borough’s Growth Plan, to support the delivery of 10,000 new homes over the next decade.
