27 Sep 2023
Award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group and leading housing association L&Q recently marked a major milestone at their Kew Bridge Rise development by carrying out a traditional topping out ceremony at one of the project's landmark residential towers, less than a year after breaking ground and announcing plans to speed up housing delivery on site.
Kew Bridge Rise is being developed on the site of the former Citroen garage in Brentford and will deliver over 441 high-quality, sustainable new homes for the area, fifty percent of which will be available through Shared Ownership and Affordable Rent.
Present at the event were senior local authority officials, including Hounslow Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat, Mayor of Hounslow Councillor Afzaal Kianni, and Councillor Katherine Dunne (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment, and Transport Strategy), who joined senior directors and the project team from Hill and L&Q to celebrate this significant milestone on the project.
Hill hosted the topping out ceremony on the roof of the first building to be delivered at Kew Bridge Rise, which comprises 66 one- and two-bedroom apartments, designated for Affordable Rent. Across the five buildings within the development, all 441 homes are designed tenure blind to ensure inclusivity, and the first residents are expected to move into the affordable homes by Autumn next year. Overall completion is expected in 2026.
Hill and L&Q, are committed to bringing a range of social benefits to the area throughout the construction process, including job opportunities and training for local people interested in pursuing a career in construction, along with 200 dedicated volunteer days to support community initiatives.
Kew Bridge Rise is located at the heart of the Brentford regeneration area, occupying a prime location on Capital Interchange Way and within walking distance of Kew Bridge Station. The development will create a new neighbourhood with five buildings of up to 18 storeys, plus a range of planned facilities which will benefit the wider area. These include a new public square, a nursery, and commercial space.
Hounslow Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat commented: “Kew Bridge Rise forms a major part of our regeneration strategy for this area, revitalising a previously brownfield site to deliver vital new homes, improve the existing infrastructure, and provide new amenities for the local community. It is exciting to see the rapid progress that Hill and L&Q are already making onsite, alongside the training and employment benefits the project offers to local people.”
Hill and L&Q have placed sustainability and healthy living at the heart of the project by incorporating features such as air-source heat pumps, electric vehicle charging points, and landscaped green spaces to promote habitat creation and ensure a net biodiversity gain.
To reduce the carbon footprint during construction, Hill is leveraging the expertise of its partner, Fusion Steel Framing, a leader in off-site production and modern methods of construction (MMC). The company's innovative TRAXTM system is being used to form the steel frame infill across the development. The bathroom pods and prefabricated utility cupboards are also fabricated off site by supply chain partners, Volumetric Modular Ltd., helping to drastically reduce build-time, waste, and construction traffic.
Andy Fancy, Managing Director at The Hill Group comments: “The topping out ceremony marked a significant milestone for this landmark new development and demonstrates the impressive construction progress on site. Together with our partner L&Q, we look forward to realising our vision for this transformative project, bringing high-quality, sustainable new homes and amenities to Hounslow to significantly benefit the wider community.”
Vicky Savage, Executive Group Director of Development and Sales at L&Q comments: “Less than a year ago we welcomed Hounslow Council on site at Kew Bridge Rise and we promised Cllr Rajawat we will deliver. The event was a testament to our commitment to the area and to delivering genuinely affordable high-quality new homes. We firmly believe that the new development will make a wonderful addition to Brentford, by revitalising a brownfield site into a brand-new neighbourhood and we look forward to welcoming our first residents by this time next year.”
Situated minutes from Kew Bridge, the regeneration of the Citroen site is a continuation of The Hill Group and L&Q's successful track record of delivering high-quality residential developments, including New Union Wharf in London's Docklands.
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About L&Q
- L&Q is one of the UK's leading housing associations and developers.
- Social purpose is at the heart of everything we do. All the money we make is reinvested into new and existing homes, creating successful communities and providing excellent services.
- The safety of residents is our top priority. We are an early adopter of the government's building safety proposals and have committed £250 million to implementing the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt's review of building safety.
- We own and manage more than 110,000 homes nationwide, and we are actively involved in the communities we help build, staying locally based and responsive. We listen to our customers and make sure they have a strong and influential voice throughout every part of the business.
- We hope to build aspiration, opportunity and confidence among residents through our community foundation and skills academy. Last year, the Foundation awarded £5.7 million in grants to good causes, including grassroots initiatives to tackle social issues like gang violence and homelessness.
- L&Q Living provides care and support services to people with a wide range of needs, including older people, people with learning difficulties and mental health needs, and people dealing with homelessness.
About The Hill Group
Hill is an award-winning housebuilder and one of the leading developers in London and the South East, renowned for its partnership ethos specialising in the building of distinctive new places and communities. It is now in the process of expanding operations both in the South West and the Midlands.
In its 24th year, this family-owned and operated company has grown to establish itself as the UK's second-largest privately-owned housebuilder, with an impressive and diverse portfolio of developments ranging from landmark, mixed-use regeneration projects to homes in rural communities.
Employing over 800 staff, the company operates from five strategically located regional offices, with its head office based in Waltham Abbey, Essex.
Hill anticipates completing over 2,600 homes in 2023 and has a controlled land bank with planning consent for over 8,500 units. Around half of the development portfolio is in joint venture to deliver a range of mixed tenure developments, reflecting Hill's commitment to partnerships with government, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients.
Hill has won over 480 industry awards, including Best Medium Housebuilder at the Housebuilder Awards for the last three years, where in 2022, Hill's commitment to creating exceptional homes and sustainable communities was recognised with the Best Community Initiative and Best Sustainability Initiative. Hill's impressive Cavendish Villas at the highly sustainable Knights Park development in Eddington, Cambridge won Best Family Home at the 2022 Evening Standard New Homes Awards, as well as Best House and Best Exterior Design at the 2022 WhatHouse? Awards. In addition, Hill has been awarded the 5-star status in the Home Builders Federation's annual Customer Satisfaction Survey for the past six years.
The Hill Group is donating 200 fully equipped modular homes to local authorities and homeless charities as part of a £15 million pledge through its Foundation 200 programme, launched in 2019 to mark Hill's 20th anniversary.