NW3 CLT chosen as preferred partner to redevelop Belsize Park site

Read Camden’s statement here.

NW3 CLT has been identified as Camden Council’s preferred option for the regeneration of 31 Daleham Gardens and has begun entering negotiations with them. This is the first ever community- led housing project undertaken in the London Borough of Camden.

In September 2020, Camden’s cabinet approved a regeneration strategy for Daleham Gardens, following a tragic fire in 2017, setting out core objectives with respect to the site and identifying the preferred option as being redevelopment through disposal to a local Community Land Trust (CLT).

The approved strategy recognised that a community-led developer, such as a Community Land Trust, with a strong local knowledge and community roots, non-profit status and focus on high quality affordable homes could be well-placed to deliver affordable housing on this site. In early 2021, Camden Council invited Expressions of Interests from community groups interested in the site.

NW3 CLT has been campaigning for community-led housing in Hampstead and Belsize Park since its inception in 2016. In 2018, we identified the Daleham Gardens as a potential site for a community- led housing project as part of the site’s regeneration following the tragic fire that took place there in 2017. Through the summer of 2019, NW3 CLT led a consultation with the residents from Daleham Gardens and the neighbouring streets to gauge their ambitions for the future of this site. The results were conclusive - the vast majority of residents stated that they wanted to see affordable housing kept at the site.

NW3 CLT Director and co-founder, Sanya Polescuk, said:

“We are delighted at this news. Over the last five years we have worked to raise awareness about the increasing unaffordability of housing stock in our area and the growing need to provide such housing in new and innovative ways. NW3 has historically had an integrated yet diverse community – something which increasing property prices threatens”

Councillor Danny Beales, Cabinet Member for Investing in Communities, Culture and an Inclusive Economy said:

“A community-led approach represents an exciting opportunity to empower the local community to lead directly on the redevelopment of 31 Daleham Gardens – putting the future of the site firmly into their hands and supporting them to step into the role of the developer.”

NW3 CLT is Community Land Trust aiming to provide affordable housing and workspaces locally. We believe by providing affordable homes and workspaces, we will help NW3 and the surrounding area become a better community and a better place for everyone who lives and works here.