• Cabinet approves decision to refurbish vacant building on Clova Road
• It will be used to create eight bedrooms for young people in need of accommodation
Newham Council’s Cabinet today (1 October) approved plans to transform a vacant building into supported accommodation for single homeless young people.
The building on Clova Road, Forest Gate is owned by the council, and will now be refurbished and converted to provide eight bedrooms within a supported unit.
The £1.475 million refurbishment costs will be partly covered by a grant of £722,750 from the GLA and the council will cover the rest.
The project is part of the innovative Newham Living programme which aims to build, acquire and transform existing assets into supported accommodation for vulnerable residents.
Councillor Sarah Ruiz, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said: “This is a fantastic initiative which will make innovative use of a vacant unit to provide urgently needed homes for young care leavers. Our young people leaving care need quality accommodation with the right support in place to enable them to eventually move into their own home and live independently.”
Councillor Zulfiqar Ali, Cabinet Lead for Finance and Resources said: “It is essential we increase the supply of affordable housing which meets the needs of our residents to address the ongoing housing crisis. Our ongoing acquisition programme is part of our wider efforts to reduce homelessness and temporary accommodation costs. The aim of this project is to create something more strategically commissioned, suited to the needs of our homeless young and vulnerable people in a more cost effective manner. This project would fulfil all those requirements and I am excited to see it take shape next year.”
A procurement process will now begin to find a development partner and work is expected to start on site by March 2025.
