The threat to the construction of new homes in parts of west London due to worries about a “shortage” of electricity has been lifted.
It was reported earlier this year that new housing developments in Hounslow, Ealing and Hillingdon would have to be paused due to strain on the electricity network, with no spare capacity for new connections until at least 2035.
City Hall wrote to developers in July warning them it may take up to a decade to upgrade capacity and resume developments, leading to fears that housing targets may not be met.
But in a letter to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, electricity provider Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) confirmed it had reached an “innovative whole system solution” with the National Grid which will allow “smaller demand” housing projects to go ahead in the affected boroughs.
The provider confirmed that any development with an electricity demand below 1MVA (megavolt ampere) – typically between 100 and 250 homes – will be able to proceed without having to wait for lengthy upgrades to the transmission network.
In a written response to a question from Conservative London Assembly Member Emma Best, Sadiq Khan confirmed this would mean “the majority” of housing developments in west London would be able to go ahead without having to wait for upgrades.
According to Mr Khan, City Hall is aware of at least 50 different housing projects in Hounslow, Ealing and Hillingdon that have been impacted by the electricity shortage, with completion dates ranging from 2023 to 2043. This includes projects in receipt of Affordable Homes Programme funding.
But the Mayor of London warned that he and his team had been made aware of electric vehicle charging points and hospitals in west London which could also be affected by the constraints on the electricity network.
SSEN has said that of its 66 customers involved in the delivery of housing in west London which had been identified as facing electricity constraints, 42 would now be able to connect under the new approach.
