The borough’s housing crisis has been revealed to be one of the worst compared to its neighbours according to latest government data.
Kingston’s housing stock grew at half the national average last year despite having some of the highest rates of households in temporary accommodation in south-west London.
Data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has shown that only four new homes were built for every 1,000 existing dwellings, compared to the national average of nine.
A Flourish chart
What does the data mean?
Kingston matches neighbouring Elmbridge in the rate new homes being built proportional to population.
Richmond built fewer, with only two new homes being built between 2022 and 2023 per 1,000 existing dwellings – the smallest increase of all south-west London boroughs.
However, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Kingston had 910 families awaiting temporary accommodation in Q3 2023: more than double that of Richmond when adjusted for population.
While three other boroughs have higher rates of temporary housing among households, Kingston’s low rates of new housing means it has the largest disparity between the number of homes needed and homes being built.
What is being done about it?
The problem has been building over time. No affordable council homes were built between 2005 and 2015, while only 17 were built from 2018 to 2020.
Kingston Council is hoping to address the crisis with a number of new housing projects, most notably the 2,170-home Cambridge Road Estate (CRE) regeneration which will see 218 flats added to the council’s housing stock over the original estate.
The Greater London Authority has contributed £10m to the project.
Of the 871 council homes being built, 42 will be let to council tenants by the end of the year.
Other developments include the recently-completed Arun House in Kingston and York Way in Chessington, housing 37 families between them.
MP Ed Davey, Kingston Council and residents celebrating Kingston’s first new council flats in over 30 years (Photo: Emily Dalton)
Murray House, a former care home along Acre Road, is also ear-marked for development into over 40 homes for older people and those with learning disabilities.
However, for the roughly 3,700 households across the borough currently awaiting a permanent home, projects like this are a cold comfort.
While smaller projects have a quicker turnaround, major works like CRE are needed to provide a long-term solution.
However, with a completion date between 2035 to 2038, the project does little to address the borough’s current residents.
CRE’s regeneration only increases council home capacity by 218, with the rest rehoming previous residents.
The council’s website says: “In Kingston, there is a real need for affordable and suitable housing for our residents.
“Apart from social rented housing provided by the Council and housing associations, the main type of affordable housing is shared ownership. “
https://kingston.nub.news/news/local-news/in-data-kingstons-housing-crisis-among-worst-in-south-west-london-225730
