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Housing association and ‘airspace’ developer get green light for 30 rooftop homes
A London housing association and a “airspace” developer have secured planning approval to build 30 new rooftop homes on top of an existing residential development in south-east London.
Lambeth and Southwark Housing Association (LSHA) and developer Apex Airspace have successfully secured approval for the homes, which will be built on top of the Antony House and Roderick House buildings in Bermondsey.
According to the developer, the work will include the construction of “bookends” at the edge of each block, a new central core connecting the building and a double-storey rooftop extension across the two existing structures. A bespoke steel structure will be used to carry the weight of the new homes.
Of the 30 new homes, 24 will be offered at London Affordable Rent and the remaining six will be offered at social rent. They will be a mixture of one and two-bedroom flats, with some outdoor amenity space.
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According to the Apex, the roofs on both buildings were due major repairs work to the tune of £400,000 and the work will save the association this money. The units will be built offsite at a factory which will half the construction time. HTA is the architect for the scheme.
Nearly two years ago, Apex were given £9m by Homes England to deliver 78 rooftop homes on five sites across London.
Mark Jackson, chief executive of LHSA, said: “If we’re going to build more homes for our tenants, we need to think innovatively and efficiently, which is exactly what Apex is offering.
“London desperately needs more high-quality and affordable homes, and the company’s construction methods will help us deliver new homes far quicker than traditional build methods due to offsite modular construction.
“As a housing association we need to ensure we are utilising our existing stock in the capital, which is why this is such a fantastic solution for us.”
Arshad Bhatti, chief executive officer of Apex Airspace, said: “Having worked closely with Lambeth and Southwark Housing Association and HTA, we are thrilled that Southwark Council has granted planning permission for Antony & Roderick – we are thankful for their continued co-operation.
“Our collaboration with LSHA demonstrates our ability to unlock a previously unknown supply of affordable housing for the wider community in Bermondsey through this redevelopment and be able to deliver policy compliant rented accommodation in inner London.”
