Contract Awarded for 31 Flats in Farm Lane Development
Council scheme will include 10 units for social rent
A visualisation from the council of the Farm Lane development
May 22, 2024
A council development scheme in Fulham has taken a major step forward after the awarding of a £13.7 million contract to design and build the homes.
Neilcott Construction Ltd has been chosen by Hammersmith and Fulham Council as the ‘principal contractor’ for 31 flats in Farm Lane, 16 of which are to be ‘affordable’.
The scheme was approved by the council in July 2023, with work to begin this summer. It is expected to be completed by January 2026.
Cllr Andrew Jones, Hammersmith and Fulham Council Cabinet Member for The Economy, said the Farm Lane scheme constitutes one of 16 in the council’s ‘direct delivery programme’, which will see more than 1,100 homes built or underway by the local authority in the next five years.
The Farm Lane site, which is a five-minute walk from Fulham Broadway Station and sits between the Walham Grove and Walham Green conservation areas, is currently vacant brownfield land. It includes a disused children’s centre which has not been occupied in more than a decade, and is being secured by property guardians.
As well as the 16 ‘affordable’ homes, made up of 10 at social rent and six shared ownership, 15 will be sold at market rate.
In documents filed as part of the application, it was noted the scheme will involve knocking down the current three-storey building, to be replaced with a three-to-five-storey residential block.
Another visualisation of the new housing block in Fulham from the council
A new play space, to include a climbing structure, plus additional planting and cycle storage are also included in the plans.
The awarding of the contract to Neilcott Construction Ltd, which also built the Sands End Arts and Community Centre on behalf of the council, means it will be able to begin mobilisation works by 31 May ‘at the latest’.
The site on Farm Lane before development
Cllr Jones said, “We know how much local people struggle to afford housing in Hammersmith and Fulham. We’re doing everything possible to increase the supply of genuinely affordable homes.
“These new high-quality homes in Farm Lane are part of 16 local schemes that will deliver 1,100 new home starts over the next five years to help tackle the national housing crisis.”
The Farm Lane development is also part of the council’s wider pledge to secure up to 3,000 new affordable homes over the next four years, via means including ‘partnership initiatives’ as well as its own development pipeline .
In the contract’s decision notice, officers wrote, “The council is committed to defining creative approaches to tackling the housing crisis and exploring the role of intermediate housing options in retaining and attracting workers needed to grow the borough’s most exciting growth sectors, and deliver the borough’s most important public services.”
A CGI of the aerial view from planning documents
Neilcott Construction Ltd was approached for any further comment.
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter