Press release

Greenwich Council Leader Anthony Okereke has broken ground at affordable housing developer Pocket Living’s latest development, The Heights in Charlton.

In a historic moment for both parties, Anthony was joined by Aidan Smith, the newly elected Cabinet member for Regeneration, Jo Van den Broek, Ward Councillor of Charlton Village & Riverside, and Pocket Living’s Chief Commercial Officer Nick Cuff at a ceremony that signified the first time the company has implemented a scheme in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. 

The scheme, scheduled for completion at the end of 2023, will provide 48 new homes, including 45 one-bedroom and 3 two-bedroom Pocket homes. Every home will be available at a 20% discounted rate compared to the local market exclusively for first-time buyers who live or work in Greenwich and earn under the Mayor of London’s income threshold for affordable housing. 

The site, formerly owned by the Royal Borough of Greenwich, highlights the Council’s ongoing commitment to providing affordable housing solutions for first-time buyers within the Borough. 

Although currently operating in the early stages of the development, Pocket Living already has over 650 eligible first-time buyers who live or work in Greenwich registered as interested in buying an apartment at The Heights. 

Already benefiting from excellent public transport links into London as a result of its convenient location next to Charlton Station, it has been further bolstered by the recent opening of the Elizabeth Line at Woolwich station, which is located circa. two miles from the development. 

The Heights represents one of a number of Pocket schemes currently in construction across London. 

Following the completion of its 1,000th home in the Capital earlier this year, Pocket is on track to complete construction on a further 550 homes in the next 18 months and has another 900 currently in for or with planning approval. 

Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, comments: “We’re committed to building good homes for the people who need them most in Royal Greenwich. Our borough is growing fast and we need homes that suit everyone, so schemes like these will be important as we tackle the housing crisis. 

“We know demand is high for homes in Royal Greenwich and we’re doing everything we can to deliver housing for all, and projects like this will help first time buyers get on the ladder and keep local people living, working and enjoying our fantastic borough.”

Nick Cuff, Chief Commercial Officer at Pocket Living, comments: “Our latest research, which polled over 1,000 Londoners aged between 25 and 45 years old, found that the biggest obstacle to non-home owners is ‘house prices being too high’ at 51%, while 30% claim they can’t afford a mortgage and 27% are struggling to raise a deposit. As the cost of living continues to rise it is vital that we deliver innovative housing solutions to unlock homeownership for the next generation. As such, we are proud to be delivering new homes in Greenwich and working with a council who shares our ambitions to get more Londoners on the housing ladder.” 

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:

Giles Barrie/Matthew Richards/Emily Smart/Andrew Johnson

pocketliving@fticonsulting.com

About Pocket Living:

Pocket Living is an innovative housing developer, delivering well-designed, homes for Londoners. Since being established in 2005, Pocket has delivered over 1,000 homes across a range of tenures.  Pocket currently has over 1,500 homes in its planning and construction pipeline. 

For more information on Pocket, please visit our website or YouTube channel: 

Twitter: @Pocket_Living 

Instagram: @pocketliving