The Canada Water development is celebrating a significant construction milestone, with the building at Plot K1 on Roberts Close having reached its full height. The “topping-out” keeps British Land on schedule with its commitment to deliver affordable homes for the area.
Built by McAleer & Rushe for the British Land and AustralianSuper Masterplan, Plot K1 is the first block to near completion on the 53-acre development. It will provide 79 new affordable homes for Southwark Council, 60 of them designated council homes, to help address the pressing need for affordable housing locally. Most of the homes will have two or more bedrooms, making them well-suited for families.
Symon Bacon, Senior Development Director at British Land, said:
“Plot K1 is the result of a very successful collaboration between British Land, McAleer & Rushe and Southwark Council. This is just the first step in our 53-acre town centre, delivering on our commitment to provide much-needed sustainable, affordable, homes in Canada Water, and now we can see these plans starting to become reality.”
Commenting on the milestone, Jonathan O’Neill, Senior Director of McAleer & Rushe said:
“We commenced construction on the homes in November 2021 and from the outset we have set out to construct the building safely & sustainably, including the use of a Whole Life Carbon Assessment to influence the design and material considerations. As we celebrate this milestone on Plot K1, the first building to ‘top out’ within the Canada Water masterplan, I want to thank British Land and all key stakeholders, including Southwark Council, for their collaborative approach which makes all the difference to a project’s success. We now look ahead to progressing works to the highest quality and its timely completion.”
Councillor Darren Merrill, Cabinet Member for Council Homes and Homelessness, said:
“I’m so proud that we have reached this important milestone in providing 79 high-quality new council homes for our local community. These new homes are going up in a wonderful area, surrounded by parks and green spaces, in a place with a rich heritage and history. The wider Canada Water Masterplan will mean that these residents will have a new town centre, leisure facilities and outdoor spaces to enjoy and thrive in”.
British Land puts high priority on the development creating real and lasting employment for local people. The construction of Plot K1 has seen McAleer & Rushe employ six people from the SE16 area to date, expected to increase to nine by the end of the year.
In line with British Land’s commitment to build a development that’s sustainable now and in the future, all the homes will be net zero embodied carbon at time of completion. They have been built to a zero-waste plan with 99% of construction waste created on Plot K1 recycled on site and all timber used Forest Stewardship Council certified.
Once complete, the homes will be fully electric, eliminating the need for fossil fuels, while efficient taps, showers and toilets will reduce water use below 110 litres per person per day. A communal roof terrace and ground-floor garden planted with pollinator-friendly species, along with bird and bat boxes, help deliver an 866% gain in biodiversity.
To find out more about what’s being built at Plot K1 and the rest of the development, email team@canadawater.co.uk, visit the website at www.canadawater.co.uk or keep an eye on the Canada Water Masterplan social media channels.
