Hammersmith and Fulham approve affordable homes under Rational House project

The new building in Fulham, which will contain six flats, will be built in a factory off-site using pre-made panels. As part of a new 'Rational House' project, three of the new flats will be offered first to local people who are on the borough’s Home Buy register.

The Council said in a statement that the method of construction adopted by the Rational House product is ideal for building high-density low-rise development. Because the homes are constructed off-site, the impact on the local community in terms of noise, dust and traffic movements is kept to a minimum.

A house was built in the borough in 2011 using the off-site construction method. It took 11 days to erect the house on-site. A further 10 houses are due to be built under the scheme later this year at the Spring Vale Estate, with six of those to be offered at a discounted market rate to first-time buyers on the Home Buy register.

“We’re acutely aware that there are many hard-working people living in the borough who are desperate to buy their own home and we are doing what we can to help them take their first step on the housing ladder," said the Council's cabinet member for housing Andrew Johnson in a statement.

“With Barclay Close’s Rational House project, half of the available homes will be affordable housing. So, modest and middle income-earners in Hammersmith and Fulham who may ordinarily be priced out of the market will have an opportunity to purchase their first property at a discounted market rate."

“The borough may have the third highest property prices in the UK, but we are always looking to create more opportunities for aspirational first-time buyers to buy their own place at a decent price,” Johnson said.