• Pocket Living has received the green light for its first major Build to Rent scheme on a site in the Old Oak Opportunity Area. The BtR development will provide 457 Build to Rent homes, with 35% affordable
• A second permission was awarded by Barnet Council for 60 new homes, 56 of which will be intermediate affordable homes
• Both planning committees voted unanimously in favour of the Pocket Living schemes

Innovative housing developer Pocket Living has secured two unanimous planning committee decisions, days apart, for two housing developments in London, totalling almost 500 homes aimed at London’s middle-income workers who keep the city vibrant and dynamic. The two permissions demonstrate the breadth of Pocket’s offer to this market as the development at Atlas Road will be Pocket’s first ever rental scheme.

The biggest decision came from the Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) who unanimously resolved to grant planning permission for a Build to Rent scheme that will provide 457 Build to Rent homes, consisting of studios, one-bed, two-bed and three-bed homes, with 137 (35% by habitable room) provided at either London Living Rent or Discount Market Rent levels. Speaking in support of the application, a local teacher addressed the committee stating ‘without more homes coming forward, I will have to leave London altogether’.

The site at Atlas Wharf, on Atlas Road NW10 and adjacent to the Grand Union Canal, signifies a significant step forward for the wider regeneration of the area as the first major consent in the new Channel Gate town centre planned in the recently adopted Local Plan. Whilst within the London Borough of Ealing, the site falls under the jurisdiction of the OPDC and is identified in the emerging plan as part of a new town centre.

The scheme at Old Oak is Pocket’s first Build to Rent development and includes three buildings, all connected at ground floor level via a podium, containing a shared entrance, resident amenity spaces, cycle storage and commercial and retail uses that will be open to the public. 

Pocket Living’s aim is to provide a rental option that is accessible to young middle-earning professionals in London. Pocket has been shifting its focus into larger brownfield sites following the UK Government’s re-emphasis on a brownfield-first approach to solving the housing crisis and commitment to see significant new homes being delivered alongside HS2 transport infrastructure.

Thomasin Renshaw, Pocket Living Development Director, comments: “We believe that with unrivalled connectivity across London and the UK via HS2 and the Elizabeth line, Old Oak will become a thriving, inclusive and healthy new urban district, with huge benefits for current and new residents and businesses alike.

“Pocket Living is a developer that is uniquely focused on creating affordable access to London for middle-income earners, who rely on the city for their career, personal growth and social lives. That’s why our mission is to help them make London their home whether it’s a one-bedroom discounted home for sale or a rental home.

“These homes will be thoughtfully designed and based on the Pocket ethos of good quality at an attainable price. At the heart of BtR developments is the amenity space and how this fosters a sense of community. We have been delivering these types of stylish spaces for the last 15 years, well before the BtR sector was established in the UK.”

The second permission came from Barnet Council who unanimously voted in favour of the building of a new development, between three and five storeys, at Dolman Close in Finchley N3. It comprises 60 new homes, 56 of which will be intermediate affordable homes for sale (at prices 20% discounted to the local market). The proposed affordable homes will remain affordable in perpetuity for future buyers through lease conditions and restrictions within the Section 106 Agreement. Pocket currently has over 1,000 local first-time buyers registered as interested in buying a home in Barnet. 

For the Dolman Close project, Pocket worked with Tony Fretton Architects and planning consultants Lichfields. For the Atlas Road development, it was Grid Architects and Gerald Eve.

We are very much looking forward to supporting the Pocket Living team as they progress these exciting new schemes.