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Build-to-rent scheme with 487 homes gets Gateway 3 approval after sitting empty for months
A completed build-to-rent (BTR) development of 487 homes in west London, which sat empty for months waiting for Gateway 3 approval, has finally been signed off by the Building Safety Regulator.
487 completed build-to-rent homes have received Gateway 3 approval from the Building Safety Regulator, some of which had sat empty for eight months #UKhousingThe BTR building in Wembley Park, operated by Quintain Living, has been one of the first in London to receive Gateway 3 approvals under the Building Safety Act.
The Solar development, built by contractor John Sisk & Son, is made up of three buildings with nine, 12 and 27 storeys. It contains 338 market rent BTR homes, 45 discount market rent homes and 104 affordable rent and shared ownership homes, managed by for-profit housing provider Zen Housing.
The market rent homes sat empty after completion for eight months before Gateway 3 approval, while the affordable homes were empty for seven months.
Together with Solar’s sister building Luna, which was developed earlier this year and contains 282 homes, Quintain has completed 6,000 homes of all tenures at the estate.
The project also includes a performing arts-based community centre and a headquarters for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a new public park.
As of 2024, all tall buildings must be signed off by the Building Safety Regulator at various stages, or ‘gateways’, of the construction process. Not only has the regulator struggled to work through a backlog of applications, it also rejects over 70% of applications due to lack of detail, suggesting developers do not know how to meet its standards.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the regulator told Inside Housing: “We acknowledge the frustrations delays in approving building control applications for high-rise buildings are causing for the sector. Setting up a new regulator has been a complex challenge.
“We’ve made several changes to our operations and expect significant reductions in processing times in the coming months. We recognise working with industry is the best way to reduce the length of time approvals are taking and to establish the new regulatory regime aimed at keeping residents safe.”
James Saunders, chief executive officer of Quintain, said: “This, together with Union Park, the new HQ for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as part of a major partnership with Quintain and the London Borough of Brent and an additional new community centre, reinforces our commitment to the rapidly evolving neighbourhood, recently voted one of the best places to live in the UK.”
Matt Voyce, executive director of construction for Quintain, said: “The environmental impact of construction was at the forefront of our minds when designing Solar and not only have we been able to deliver industry-leading levels of embodied carbon reduction, but we have also addressed the impact construction has on the surrounding environment through the adoption of ‘design for manufacture’ principles.
“This approach has allowed us to deliver many components of the building using off-site manufacture, reducing material wastage, noise, dust and vehicle movements, while also allowing us to continue to deliver high-quality buildings within a skills gap environment.”
Earlier this year, Brent Council announced it was looking for a development partner to build 1,600 new homes as part of its regeneration programme.
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