Housing and Regeneration: London

Matthew Pennycook Excerpts

Thursday 31st October 2024 Written Statements

Maximising housing delivery around Euston

[The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)]

Since the construction of Britain’s first inter-city rail link between London and Birmingham, Euston has been not just a bustling London neighbourhood but a gateway to the west midlands, north-west England, north Wales and Scotland.

However, as in many of London’s neighbourhoods, the need for housing in the area around Euston station far outstrips supply, resulting in higher housing costs, rising levels of overcrowding and workforce pressures. To meet the challenges and grasp the opportunities facing this important part of our capital city, bold action is required.

The Government are already taking forward plans for a much-improved Euston station, and my Department is committed to supporting the delivery of significant numbers of new homes alongside this project. To progress that work, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has established the Euston housing delivery group in partnership with the London Borough of Camden. This group will advise Ministers and local leaders on an ambitious housing and regeneration initiative for Euston, assessing the shape and scale of the opportunity for growth in the area, and acting as a driving force for new investment in the area.

My Department will work with local leaders and communities to ensure that the redevelopment of Euston is an example of exemplary place-making. Housing delivery and commercial development will be backed by the necessary social infrastructure and amenities to create thriving new communities and bolster existing ones. Ready access to primary healthcare, spaces in primary and secondary schools, and access to open green spaces for communities will be central to our vision.

Sustained economic growth is the only route to improving the prosperity of our country and the living standards of working people. That is why it is this Government’s No. 1 mission. Regenerating Euston, at the heart of our capital city, will both contribute to meeting housing need locally, and support economic growth nationally by releasing the productive potential of this historic neighbourhood.

The Euston housing delivery group

As announced in the Budget, I am appointing Bek Seeley to chair the Euston housing delivery group. The group will:

Assess the scale of opportunity for housing growth and regeneration beyond the existing Euston station site.

Identify the infrastructure, services, and green space required to unlock maximum housing delivery.

Consider how these housing opportunities can be delivered across Euston, working alongside with the Department for Transport, the Greater London Authority, and the London Borough of Camden.

Advise central Government and local leaders on an ambitious housing and regeneration scheme, as well as the routes to deliver it.

Bek has worked in the public and private sectors, has held a range of operational and commercial roles in economic development, infrastructure, built environment and public services, and has overseen major housing projects in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

The delivery group will be made up of industry experts in urban design, architecture, affordable housing delivery and financing large-scale projects. Their core focus will be to develop a trailblazing regeneration scheme, which will unlock more investment in Euston and drive growth, benefiting the local community and the whole nation.

We will continue to update Parliament on the work of the delivery group.

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