A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to commemorate the start of works on two hostels in Camden, a project that aims to support and provide temporary housing for people within the borough.
Procured through the PAGABO framework, Camden Council appointed Morgan Sindall as the main contractor to deliver to the project. Due to complete in summer 2026, the hostels will support those who do not have a home and need a safe, good quality, and secure place to live – which could be as a result of a sudden eviction, life event, or those escaping domestic violence.
In London, there are currently 175,000 people living in temporary accommodation, more than the rest of the country combined. And with 70% of these temporary accommodation households living in costly, nightly paid accommodation, the Council hopes that the Camden Hostels development will relieve this expense on households while easing the demand on local bed and breakfasts.
The development will include two hostels, consisting of 39 units on Camden Road and 50 units on Chester Road. Both hostels will include a mixture of single and double beds and each unit will be fitted with its own bathroom.
The wider sites have been designed to accommodate a community room, staff room, and outside gardens with benches and play areas for children, creating a neighbourhood feel and helping residents feel at home and in a welcoming environment while they wait for more permanent housing.
Councillor Nasrine Djemai, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Community Investment said: “Our Community Investment Programme is not only helping to tackle the housing crisis by building more high-quality, family-sized homes, but we are also delivering better quality temporary accommodation like the Camden Road and Chester Road hostels to support people in the short-term who do not have a secure place to call home. This new temporary accommodation will be energy efficient, safe, secure and be built to the highest quality. Alongside this we want to ensure this development benefits local communities and as part of the works, contractors will provide apprenticeships, work experience placements and ring-fence job vacancies for local people.”
