Lettings are now complete on the first phase of Catalyst’s major regeneration of its estate in North Kensington, Wornington Green. The housing association has worked hard to honour its commitment to keep the existing community together over the course of the regeneration.
At the very start of the regeneration, Catalyst committed to guaranteeing a new home for every Wornington Green resident that wanted one, and where possible, rehousing people close to friends and family. Catalyst has released the rehousing figures for the first phase, which show that:
- Over half of the 324 new-build homes were for social rent — 174 for social rent, 141 for market sale and 9 for shared ownership.
- Nearly all of the social rent homes went to existing residents — 171 out of the 174 homes for social rent were let to residents of Wornington Green with the remaining three were specially built homes for wheelchair users.
- Majority of Wornington Green residents moved straight into new homes – 142 moved once, with the remaining 29 moved temporarily into homes in the local area before settling into their new-build home.
Twenty-five of the new social rent homes were used to rehouse adult children of existing residents who wanted to move into their own place. “I wanted to have my own place, but to get a home at social rent you have to go on a waiting list, and renting privately is too expensive,” said Mehmet, who chose to move to his own social rented home after living with his mother and brother. “I like being independent and doing my own shopping. I didn’t think it would be this good!”
Sue Hannah, Catalyst’s Area Manager for Wornington Green, said: “ There’s a really close knit community on Wornington Green and it’s the people who make it special. We have committed to re-house all residents from Wornington Green into the new development to ensure that we keep the community together. When people do choose to move away, we try really hard to find them the home they’re looking for in the area they choose, so that it’s a positive move for them.
“Re-housing residents as part of a regeneration programme is a complicated process, but we take the time to get to know each household and understand what’s important to them when they are re-housed and we’re encouraged by the outcomes so far.”
