Westminster City Council has unveiled plans for a new phase of affordable housing delivery, allocating £160 million to a fresh pipeline of projects.

The investment, announced as part of the 2026/27 Budget, aims to address the city's housing crisis, with more than 7,000 households currently on the waiting list.

The Council has set a long-term target to deliver 2,700 homes, including 1,500 affordable family-sized properties between December 2025 and 2035. This follows the successful completion of 500 affordable homes since 2022 under the Truly Affordable Housing Strategy.

Four specific locations have been identified for the new housing schemes:

• The former Family Contact Centre on the Brunel Estate

• 88 Bravington Road

• A former World War II bomb site on Sussex Street in Pimlico

• The Queen Mother Sports Centre in Victoria

Feasibility studies indicate that the homes will be delivered via a combination of targeted redevelopment and the retrofitting of existing structures to ensure high standards of sustainability.

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The Queen Mother Sports Centre project represents a major component of the programme. Beyond housing, the plan includes a modernised leisure centre, commercial spaces, and enhanced public areas. Similarly, the Brunel Estate development will include a new, improved community hub to maintain local services.

The wider capital programme also features significant urban investments, including £34 million for safety and greening works on Regent Street, £8 million for high street improvements in Bayswater and Paddington, and over £6 million for community projects in North Paddington.

Despite this multi-million-pound investment, the Council intends to freeze the main Westminster element of Council Tax for 2026/27 to support residents with the cost of living. A below-inflation rise of two percent will be applied to the adult social care precept, keeping Westminster's rates the second lowest in the country.

Cllr Ellie Ormsby, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Renters, said: "We know how urgently Westminster residents need more affordable homes, and these projects show our determination to deliver them.

"Since 2022, 500 affordable homes have been completed, and we are excited and proud to progress with these new plans to build more. By investing in new council homes, modern leisure facilities, a community hub and improved public spaces, we're ensuring our city works for the people who live and work here. Freezing the main part of the 2026/27 Council Tax helps us support households during the ongoing cost of living pressures, while still investing in the projects which will shape Westminster's future."

The plans received Cabinet approval on Monday 23 February and will be formally discussed at Full Council on 4 March.