We mark construction milestone of 134 affordable homes at EMI’s former factory in Hayes
25 July 2023
We're closer to delivering 134 much needed affordable homes at The Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes following a traditional topping out ceremony. Guests from Network Homes, Hillingdon Council, Greater London Authority (GLA) ARJ Construction and John Rowan and Partners gathered to mark a key construction milestone on Friday 21 July.
The Veneer Court development is a mixture of apartments and maisonettes and when complete, it will include 57 homes for London Affordable Rent, 58 for Shared Ownership and 19 for London Living Rent. The latter tenure is a Mayor of London scheme allowing residents to rent at a discount in order to save for a deposit to buy shares in their home.
The wider Old Vinyl Factory scheme is part of a wider flagship redevelopment by regeneration specialist U+I, which is transforming former record company EMI’s pressing plant into an exciting residential, employment and leisure hub. When complete the 17-acres site will include a total of 642 homes with innovation and educational hubs, restaurants, shops, gym, cinema and a live music venue.
Residents will benefit from green communal spaces and roof terraces spread across three separate buildings with commercial space on the ground floor. The new homes will also be well connected being just a seven-minute walk to Hayes and Harlington Elizabeth line station, and with the M4 and M25 motorways a short distance by car.
The Old Vinyl Factory has a distinguished history employing 22,000 people at its peak. All The Beatles’ albums were pressed here as well as albums for bands such Queen, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple before the site closed as a factory in in 1978.
It’s exciting to see this development take shape on a site which has an amazing musical history and will provide great homes for people once complete. One of our strategic objectives is to increase the number of homes available for people in housing need and through the GLA’s affordable homes programme we plan to start on 1,000 homes in the capital by March 2026.
Helen Evans, Network Homes Chief Executive
The Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, said: “I’m delighted that the redevelopment of the Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes is helping to meet our fundamental goal to make London a better, fairer, and more prosperous city for all by delivering 134 new, high-quality affordable homes.
“I’m especially proud this includes homes under the Mayor’s flagship London Living Rent scheme, empowering more Londoners to save for a deposit and get one step closer to fulfilling their dreams of becoming a homeowner. This is crucial at a time when Londoners are struggling to cope with the cost-of-living crisis and eye-watering private sector rents.”
Shaun Sheldrake, Operations Director at ARJ, said: “It’s been fantastic to work alongside Network Homes and reach this special milestone in the construction of the new mixed-tenure Veneer Court building. Friday’s topping out marks an exciting point in our journey with the client and we are extremely proud to be providing much-needed homes for the local residents of Hillingdon. Thanks go to John Rowan and Partners, and all our construction partners involved in the project, we are very much looking forward to delivering the completed scheme in the autumn of next year.”
