Clarion secures planning approval for two key Merton sites - including 100% affordable Colliers Wood scheme
Clarion Housing Group has been given the go ahead to progress two significant housing projects in Merton, south London, after a pair of planning applications were approved.
At a planning committee meeting on 15 June, Merton Borough Council granted planning consent for Clarion – the UK’s largest housing association – to build a new all-affordable scheme in Colliers Wood and also deliver more homes, including affordable homes, in the final four phases of its High Path regeneration project.
Clarion will now transform a vacant Station Road site in Colliers Wood into 98 one, two and three-bedroom social rented homes for local people.
The approved plans for High Path – part of Clarion’s £1.3bn regeneration project in Merton – will enable up to 2,272 homes to be constructed as the estate’s transformation continues apace. Phase one of the project is already complete, with residents now living in their homes.
Clarion recently submitted an amended planning application for Station Road to boost the number of affordable options at its proposed scheme.
The now all-affordable development will help accelerate Clarion’s wider Merton regeneration work, with social housing residents of its Eastfields estate being offered one of the new Station Road homes – which are set to complete five years sooner than the replacement homes at Eastfields.
Clarion can now bring its revised plans for Station Road to life and provide modern affordable homes, including family-sized and wheelchair accessible options.
Richard Cook, group development director at Clarion Housing Group, said:
“Securing planning for these projects marks another significant milestone in our wider investment into Merton, where we are committed to building quality new affordable housing in priority pockets of the borough.
“We are immensely proud to be working with partners, including the council, to deliver vital homes to those who need them most in Merton. These two projects will transform the lives of thousands of local residents over the coming years.”
Clarion’s wider regeneration of Merton is providing approximately 3,300 new homes across its Eastfields, Ravensbury and High Path estates. Around 1,000 existing homes will be replaced, with an additional 2,300 new homes built over the next 15 years.
The approved High Path planning application was a revision and evolution to the outline consent granted in 2019. The new plans will deliver an uplift of 568 homes, of which 40% would be affordable.
Station Road will deliver improved riverside access, walkways and a new pedestrian bridge over the River Wandle. It will also provide new trees, planting and flexible commercial space to serve the local community.
The highly sustainable development – which encourages car-free living to reduce congestion and improve air quality – will feature extensive cycle parking, a proposed cycle-style café and free membership of a car club for residents.
Station Road residents can also benefit from a free bike hire scheme, delivered in partnership with Brompton, while South Wimbledon and Colliers Wood stations are both within walking distance of the apartments.
The homes, which each have a private balcony, will boast a range of sustainable features including low-energy integrated kitchen appliances and highly-insulated windows and doors. Heating and hot water will be provided onsite and from within the new 13-storey building.
Work on Clarion’s new Station Road scheme in Colliers Wood is expected to begin in autumn 2023. Phase four of the High Path project is due to start in 2027.
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