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.
The Cascade team supported Pocket Living on the stakeholder and community engagement throughout the development process for the site at Atlas Wharf, on Atlas Road NW1. Since May 2021, we’ve worked closely with the team, including Grid Architects and planning consultant, Gerald Eve, to showcase the high quality homes and amenity spaces that will be delivered as part of the development.
With 26,000 local people reached via social media adverts, and almost 10,000 newsletters going out to local households and businesses, we also hosted in-person and webinar public events during the two rounds of consultation. We also facilitated multiple meetings with local stakeholders, including community groups.
The 457 Build to Rent homes, will include 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 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.
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 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. At the heart of BtR developments is the amenity space and how this fosters a sense of community.
Emma Waterfall, Cascade’s Managing Director, said:
This is great news for Pocket Living and for Londoners seeking thoughtfully designed, high quality homes at an attainable price. Through a carefully considered engagement strategy, working with the project team and with key stakeholders, we successfully highlighted the core benefits of the development as well as the wider regeneration implications for Old Oak.
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.