Green light for plans to build social housing on ex-Tower Hamlets council office site

Tower Hamlets occupied the existing building before the council moved to the refurbished town hall in Whitechapel in 2023.

The project, called the Mayor’s Accelerated Housing Programme (MAHP), will focus on affordable and larger family homes across 37 council-owned sites in Tower Hamlets.

Last week, the council agreed a budget of £8m to fund the next stage of the project, including getting planning permission for most of the sites and formal pre-application submissions for the rest.

The next phase of the MAHP will also see officials draw up a full business plan and seek delivery partnerships with the Greater London Authority, Homes England, institutional investors and developers, the council said.

Tower Hamlets had 28,800 households on the housing waiting list as of July, with 13,000 living in overcrowded conditions and more than 3,000 in temporary accommodation.

Lutfur Rahman, mayor of Tower Hamlets, said the programme “marks our boldest step yet” to address the borough’s “urgent need for affordable housing”.

“We are committed to keeping people in our communities, in secure homes they can afford, and providing future generations with comfortable, decent housing for many years to come.”