Ferndale Park breaks ground, bringing 211 new homes to Beckton

In mid-March the Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz OBE broke ground at Ferndale Park, in the east of the borough. This marks the start of construction on this new neighbourhood in Beckton, with the first residents expected to move in in mid-2028.  

The site is being delivered by Populo Living, the council’s wholly owned housing company, with award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group as the development contractor.

The site will create a new addition to the local community, with 130 homes available to rent and 81 affordable homes available at social rent, together with circa 5,500 sqm of accessible green space. The homes will be split across six buildings ranging between five to nine stories on 1.4hectares of council-owned brownfield land, creating a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments to accommodate a range of households. 

Populo worked to up the original provision of 25% affordable homes to the current amount - meaning that 38% are now affordable at social rent, up from the original 25%, creating homes that Newham residents can genuinely afford. The increase was secured by a planning amendment to provide the maximum number of affordable units possible, in line with the council’s Building A Fairer Newham agenda.

As with all of Populo's projects, social value is built into our tendering process to maximise community wealth building and ensure that new development benefits the wider community.

Ferndale Park is part of the council’s vision for the east of the borough and will be followed by Populo's site at Pier Road to provide a further 350 homes, including 36% affordable. 

These sites are part of Newham Council’s ambitious housing delivery plans to address the housing crisis and create opportunities for local people in Newham. Over a third of the homes across the two brownfield sites are at affordable social rent levels, and 800sqm of workspace will be created at Pier Road to support the development of local businesses in growth sectors of the London economy as part of the recently launched Newham Growth Plan.  
                   
Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, said: “Housing is at the heart of the council’s ambition, as housing offers security and improved attainment for our residents. This is why I tasked our housing company Populo Living to turbocharge delivery across the borough. 

“Both Ferndale Park and Pier Road are key elements in our vision for the transformation of the Royal Docks and surrounding areas, including parts of the borough long left behind. Newham Council has a pipeline of 8,000 new homes on our own land, an integral element in our dynamic Newham Growth Plan. As well as supporting the government’s mission to build 1.5 million homes, we are delivering opportunities for our people by creating high quality, genuinely affordable homes.”

Deborah Heenan, CEO of Populo Living, said: “Ferndale Park takes the number of homes that Populo Living has delivered for Newham Council to over 1,000, with the potential to deliver so much more. The Council’s inclusive growth ambitions are central to our plans, and we remain committed to delivering the maximum number of affordable homes that we can for Newham, to give more people more opportunities, while creating dynamic new neighbourhoods for the borough.”

Michael Turner, Regional Director at The Hill Group, said: “We are pleased to mark the official start of construction at Ferndale Park. This project reflects a shared commitment to deliver much-needed high-quality homes that will serve the community for generations. We look forward to working with our partners to bring this vision to fruition and create a sustainable neighbourhood that people are proud to call home.”