The Mayor of Tower Hamlets' ambition to deliver thousands of much-needed new homes has taken a major step forward after Cabinet approved the budgets required to progress the first 10 sites within the Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme (MAHP).
The decision on Wednesday 15 July enables the Council to move forward with the delivery of the first phase of 351 new homes, which forms part of the programme to deliver up to 3,300 new homes on 42 council-owned sites across the borough, , with a minimum of 51 per cent affordable housing.
The Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme is one of the largest council-led housing initiatives in the UK and is focused on providing high-quality, genuinely affordable homes while investing in neighbourhoods and creating places where communities can thrive.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:
"This is an important milestone in delivering on our commitment to provide the genuinely affordable and family-sized homes our residents need. Too many families are waiting for a secure, high-quality home, and the Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme is a bold response to that challenge.
"By approving funding for these first 10 sites, we are turning our ambition into action. We are not simply building homes; we are investing in neighbourhoods, improving public spaces and creating sustainable communities that will benefit residents for generations to come.
"Community engagement has been at the heart of this programme, and I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to share their views. Those conversations are helping to shape proposals that respond to local priorities while delivering the homes our borough urgently needs."
Cabinet approved the budget of £143 million, which will be off set by GLA grant funding of £70 million, subject to securing grants from the Mayor of London’s Affordable Homes Programme (AHP), and £30.6 million from Right to Buy Receipts.
At the same meeting, a separate budget of £5.7 million was approved to deliver a new Ideas Store and One Stop Shop as part of the Bethnal Green PDC – a MAHP site that will provide 44 new homes.
The Council’s Cabinet noted that since the programme launched, extensive community engagement has taken place with residents, businesses and local stakeholders to help shape emerging proposals for each site. Feedback gathered through Community Conversations and online consultation has informed the evolving designs, ensuring local priorities are considered. This can be accessed by the MAHP on-line consultation pages.
Further consultation will continue ahead of planning submissions, providing residents and local groups with additional opportunities to review proposals and help shape the future of each site. Residents can subscribe to receive updates.
The Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme aims to deliver up to 3,300 new homes, with a minimum of 51 per cent affordable housing by habitable room across the programme as a whole, including a significant proportion of homes for social rent, alongside wider investment in public realm, biodiversity, connectivity and community infrastructure.
Posted on Tuesday 21st July 2026