The Housing & Regeneration Scrutiny Sub Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday, 8 December 2025, to discuss housing options, delivery updates, and regeneration and infrastructure priorities. The meeting will cover a range of topics, including the Housing Options Transformation Programme, housing delivery progress, and regeneration initiatives to support housing delivery. Councillors will review reports and presentations to inform their discussions.

Housing Delivery Update

The sub-committee is scheduled to receive an update on housing delivery in Tower Hamlets. The report pack highlights that the council's housebuilding programme includes approximately 3,700 homes across more than 50 sites.

Since April 2022, the council has delivered 307 new homes across 21 sites, with a further 600 homes having planning permission and ready to start on site. There are also 3,000 homes in the pipeline, progressing through design stages, including those in the Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme. The council has invested approximately £350m in housing growth through the Housing Revenue Account¹ (HRA) business plan.

The report pack notes that the council is on course to acquire 237 buy back properties in 2025/26 and has received an indicative offer from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to fund the purchase of a further 106 Temporary Accommodation homes. The council is also preparing a bid for submission to the Greater London Authority (GLA) in April 2026 to secure grant funding for the delivery of the programme.

The report pack also provides a breakdown of delivered homes by bedroom type:

• 1 Bed: 110
• 2 Bed: 77
• 3 Bed: 83
• 4 Bed: 36
• 5 Bed: 1

The report pack also highlights several completed projects:

• Heylyn Square delivered 32 new build family-sized homes.
• O'Brien Garages provided affordable homes addressing diverse housing needs.
• Four 4-bedroom houses were delivered for families with children living with autism.

The council has secured a grant from the GLA to secure 200 Council Housing Acquisition Programme (CHAP) homes in 2025/26. Sixty homes have been bought, with a further 70 in final negotiations or conveyancing. To meet the target of 200 homes, an additional 70 will need to be identified, and a new temporary accommodation purchase scheme is to be established with an initial budget of £25m.

Looking ahead, the report pack states that 62 homes are on site at Arnold Road completing by March 2026, and 10 homes for rent at Buckhurst Street completing in summer 2026. The council has also secured planning permission for over 600 new homes at sites such as St Georges, Cressy Place, Caxton, Copenhagen and Clichy Estate regeneration that will start on site in 2026. Up to 116 homes are planned for Augusta Street, a Mayor's Priority Project with a planning application in early 2026. The Mayor's accelerated housing programme will deliver over 3,000 homes.

The Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme is divided into categories based on the RIBA plan of work:

• Category 1: RIBA 3 (Full) - 23 sites
• Category 2: RIBA 2 (Outline/Hybrid) - 7 sites
• Category 3: RIBA (Pre-app) - 14 sites

Regeneration and Infrastructure Priorities

The sub-committee is also scheduled to discuss regeneration and infrastructure priorities to support housing delivery.

The report pack states that the council has engaged Arup to lead a piece of work titled 'Future Places', which will be designed to tell a compelling, council-led story on Tower Hamlets' development opportunities, support a change in perception about its growth ambitions, and demonstrate energy and excitement around the borough and its potential.

The Future Places Plan will:

o Tell a clear and coherent story about the London Borough of Tower Hamlets' vision for regeneration, consistent with the emerging local plan;

o Present key growth-related successes that have already been achieved and ways the Borough works with stakeholders;

o Put forward to prospective investors and partners the scale and breadth of opportunities in Tower Hamlets, drawing on key areas with potential to catalyse wider and deeper improvements, aligned with the Tower Hamlets' strategic plan.

The plan will be produced in time for the Corporate Director for Housing & Regeneration to launch the report at MIPIM 2026 (9 – 13 March).

The council has formed the Lower Lea Sponsors Group with the London Borough of Newham, Transport for London (TfL), and the Greater London Authority, to provide senior-level advocacy, input and decision-making to unlock the delivery of infrastructure in the Lower Lea Valley. Collaboration has unlocked pace of delivery for Mayer Parry Bridge, including securing a full joint funding package from both boroughs, and outline agreement from the GLA to vire £2.4m funding from the paused Lochnagar Bridge to Mayer Parry.

Other regeneration initiatives include the Whitechapel Road Improvement Programme and the Middlesex Street Regeneration Programme. A new £250,000 GLA-grant funded project will see public realm and greening initiatives near two of the worst air quality areas near schools in the borough (Canon Barnett and Woolmore).

The council's Infrastructure Plan establishes infrastructure needs, including social infrastructure, physical infrastructure, and critical enabling infrastructure. The Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) is the evidence base supporting the Local Plan and is formed by internal teams/strategies, external partners, Local Plan evidence base, and bespoke evidence. The IDP looks at the spatial nature of requirements, by when they are needed and a broad estimate of costs per project – up to 2038.

The report pack identifies a future funding gap of £130m up to 2038. There are many ways to close the funding gap over 15 years, that the council will continually review and implement, such as cost reduction and maximising grant income.

Housing Options Transformation Programme

The sub-committee is scheduled to review a presentation on the Housing Options Transformation Programme. No further details are available in the report pack.

Other Items

The agenda also includes apologies for absence and declarations of interest, where members are required to declare any relevant interests as per the Members' Code of Conduct. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 03 November 2025, are scheduled to be confirmed, along with a review of the action log.