Mayor backs council on White City development

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
06/08/2008

The Mayor of London’s backing for a new health and social care centre and housing scheme for White City is being hailed as a new dawn for more responsive planning policies for London.

London’s Mayor has today (4.8.08) backed H&Fcouncil’s planning approval of the White City health and social care centre development, a project which will be a cornerstone to wider regeneration plans that are being taken forward in the north of the borough. The scheme had previously been stalled by unrealistic housing tenure policies. 

An eleventh-hour change of heart saw GLA planning officers drop their previous reservations to the lack of social homes for rent and instead advise the Mayor not to direct refusal of the application. 

“This is overdue recognition that this neighbourhood needs this scheme and shows a landmark shift away from the dogma of percentages and towards delivering the homes and community facilities that individual neighbourhoods really need,” says Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh.

“This area already has high levels of social housing. Fifty one per cent of local homes are for social-rent. It is sandwhiched between two large estates: White City and Wormholt estates which have more than 1,800 homes for social rent between them. White City is amongst the most deprived neighbourhoods not just in the borough but in the country. One in three adults in the area have no educational qualifications at all and over 50 per cent of ward residents are on housing benefit. 

“This scheme will provide White City residents with a badly-needed foot on the home ownership ladder and produce a more mixed and balanced community. A census of all Council tenants in 2007 identified that 72 per cent of people living in council housing would like to own their own homes if they could afford it. This development helps make their aspirations a reality by providing 70 homes for low cost sale. And it delivers a badly-needed health centre and other vital neighbourhood improvements.”

The multi-million pound Bloemfontein Road development includes:

• a brand new shared health and social care centre with GPs, social services, dentists, a pharmacy, podiatry, day surgery, district nurses, health visitors, mental health services, radiology, and speech and language services – all under one roof.
• 179 new homes, (39% intermediate housing, with 20 units for whelchair users, 61% market sale)
• A £1m contribution to the redesign and improvement of the neighbouring Wormholt park
• A café and local supermarket. 

Hammersmith and Fulham council's planning applications committee gave the go-ahead on Tuesday July 15. The move comes following extensive consultation with local people, residents’ associations and other groups in the area. 

The transformation of the site, which has been vacant for five years, is part of the shared vision of the council and primary care trust of Hammersmith & Fulham as a borough of opportunity for all – helping solve problems of poor health that often hold back people in that part of the borough and also offering residents a foot on the property ladder.

Council Leader Stephen Greenhalgh adds: “The people of White City have been waiting for a new health centre for many years. Now they will have a first class centre offering top rate care and they deserve to reap the fantastic benefits that it will bring.” 

Wormholt Park, which will be seen from the health centre’s modern wide glass window, will also get a facelift as part of the development. It will be preened and pruned and undergo extensive landscaping, with a new children’s play park, sports and recreational area and contemporary sheltered garden.

Ends

Editors notes:

• Between two large council estates: White City Estate and Wormholt  – White City estate has 2037 properties of which 1530 social rent (75%) and Wormholt – 681 properties of which 316 social rent (46%)
• The ward has 50.7% existing social housing
• Both White City estate and Wormholt estate are in the top 10% of London Super Output areas in terms of levels of deprivation
• Unemployment levels in the ward (5.5%) are nearly twice the LB H&F average (3%), with long term unemployment running at 32%.
• The area surrounding the scheme has 9.6% of the working age population claiming incapacity benefit and 15.6% claiming income support.
• Apart from one other ward in the borough the percentage of residents suffering from limiting long term illness was the highest in the borough at 16.9%.