Tackling the Housing Crisis - Building affordable homes in Sutton

Tackling the ongoing housing crisis is one of the biggest challenges Sutton, London and the country as a whole face. Finding a secure, safe and affordable place to live is an essential part of living independently, but for too many it is simply not in reach. 

This housing crisis has knock-on impacts for many families in Sutton, where grown-up children simply cannot afford to move out, even if they have well-paid jobs. Many families who do rent find themselves at the mercy of a small minority of unscrupulous landlords, who are increasingly evicting tenants simply to increase their rent to unsustainable levels. In Sutton alone, we have over 1,000 households in  temporary or emergency accommodation and many of them have to be housed outside the borough. 

In a week when the final report into the Grenfell Tragedy was published, it is a reminder of just how important it is that the homes we do have are well-designed and safe. Our thoughts are with those who were, and continue to be, affected by the tragedy. Sutton Council, Sutton Housing Partnership and all of our partners will always do everything we can to keep the residents we serve safe in their homes. We will do all that we can to make sure we are building the right homes, so that we can help as many people as possible into permanent, high-quality housing locally. 

This week, the Council’s Planning Committee granted outline planning permission for a scheme that is a core part of our mission to provide high quality homes for all - the Elm Grove Estate Regeneration. There is still more work to be done, and the community will be involved every step of the way, but we are proudly now one step closer to delivering hundreds more council and genuinely affordable homes in the heart of Sutton Town Centre. 

While this development on its own will not solve the housing crisis single-handedly, it will go some way to help provide many more affordable homes for Sutton residents. Every single new home will make a difference. As we move forward to more detailed design work at Elm Grove, the Council will work with residents, including those who were balloted and overwhelmingly supported the principle of redeveloping the estate. By working together, we will be able to provide beautifully-designed, high-quality and environmentally-friendly homes for those most in need. This will also help stimulate economic growth in our main town centre with nearby residents visiting local shops, eateries and bars.

You can find out more about all the new council housing we have already built and are currently building around the borough on the council website.

Leader of the Council, 
Councillor Barry Lewis