Green boost for heritage homes

17 homes in Canal Grove have been retrofitted to make them more energy efficient and to cut carbon emissions.

The homes in Canal Grove (just off Old Kent Road) have been retrofitted with new loft insulation and LED lighting.

The work has been funded thanks to Section 106 payments that Southwark Council has collected from a development, nearby, at 180 Ilderton Road.

Section 106 agreements are one of the ways in which the council is ensuring that the whole community shares in the benefits of the Old Kent Road regeneration programme. In this case, money generated from the mixed-use development on Ilderton Road, which included 84 new homes, has been used for carbon off-setting and has improved the energy efficiency of the much older homes on Canal Grove.

The Canal Grove Cottages form an important part of Old Kent Road’s heritage. It was here that George Livesey, the Victorian industrialist and philanthropist (who ran the nearby gasworks), was raised and some of the street’s homes date back to the 1820s.

Today, most of the Canal Grove Cottages are owned and managed by Hexagon Housing Association, whose Stock Improvement team managed the project; working closely with residents.

Thanks to Hexagon and the funds from the Ilderton Road scheme (developed by 2020 Capital and Optivo / Southern Housing) the residents of Canal Grove will now benefit from much warmer homes as well as lower energy bills.

Arrangements like this one are just one of the ways in which Southwark Council can ensure much needed new homes are built in the borough while also tackling the causes of climate change.

Other plans to help tackle climate change include a scheme to connect a further 3,000 homes in the area to the District Heating Network supplied by the SELCHP heat-from-waste facility. If approved, this will save 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, annually.

A decision on the Local Development Order necessary to progress this project is expected shortly.

Find out more about how Southwark Council is tackling the climate emergency and the plan to become a carbon neutral borough by 2030.