News

Boost for council housing in Camden as 28 new homes get green light as part of Small Sites Programme

Turley provided expert Planning, Heritage and Economics services to the London Borough of Camden, which has secured approval from Camden’s Planning Committee for two applications to build 28 new council homes on Highgate Road and Raglan Street following a meeting held last week.

These new homes will be the first to be built under Camden’s New Homes for Small Sites Programme aimed at building more affordable homes on underused council-owned land.

Ten homes for social rent are set to be built on a car park site next to Haddo House on Highgate Road. The homes will be a mix of one-, two-, and five-bedroom homes and will be built alongside works to the existing estate courtyard, including play spaces and landscaping.

Energy efficient design is central to these proposals, with solar panels, sustainable materials and plans to improve local biodiversity set to be part of the development.

A further 18 energy efficient affordable homes have been approved on Raglan Street. They will be a mix of social and intermediate rents and consist of one-, two- and three-bedroom properties.

As well as the new homes, improvements will be made to the local area, including enhanced play areas, planting and increased security on the estate with new gating and fencing. This was included in response to community feedback during the planning stage.

Councillor Nasrine Djemai, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Community Investment said:

"We are doing everything in our power to build more council homes to help ease housing pressures and support the thousands of people on our housing waitlist. As part of this we launched our New Homes for Small Sites Programme to find poorly used council land which could be used for affordable council housing. Working closely with our communities, we’ve been able to identity a number of suitable areas for housing. 

"It’s great news that the first two developments have now been approved – not only will we be delivering 28 high-quality, energy-efficient homes for local people, but we will be making other improvements to the estates which our residents asked for. This just shows how we’re pushing our housebuilding work further and finding more innovative ways to address the housing crisis in Camden to benefit residents now and in the future."

Director, Oliver Jefferson added:

"We're proud to have secured approval for these schemes, which show how underused land can be transformed into high-quality, energy-efficient council homes, while delivering meaningful improvements for existing residents."

The 28 new council homes are the first to be approved by the planning committee since the New Homes for Small Sites Programme launched in 2022.

The council consulted with residents who know their estates best on opportunities for building new homes on council owned land – from disused spaces, car parks and garages that could be used more effectively. Residents had their say on where new homes could be built through a ‘call for ideas’ interactive map.

Camden’s New Homes for Small Sites Programme was an expansion of the Community Investment Programme (CIP) – the council’s ambitious plan to build 4,850 new homes, including 1,800 for social rent. So far, CIP has delivered 1,780 homes, 70 per cent of which are affordable. CIP has delivered some of the most energy efficient homes in the UK – helping residents cut their fuel bills and carbon emissions.

Find out more about Camden’s New Homes for Small Sites Programme.

Find out more about Camden’s Community Investment Programme.

19 March 2026