John Lewis Partnership planning to push rental home business

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has said that it will be pushing ahead with its rental home scheme weeks after the group’s property director stepped down.

The partnership reported that it had submitted its first planning applications for two ‘build-to-rent’ sites at West Ealing and Bromley, with plans for a vacant warehouse site in Reading to be put forward later this year.

The sole purpose of the business plan is to rent to local communities, while looking to address the rising demand for rental homes in the UK in light of a decreasing number of private landlords.

JLP said that it is planning to debut 428 new homes in West Ealing and 353 in Bromley, with a goal of around 35 percent of the properties to be affordable housing for key workers.

A public piazza will be located at the heart of the developments, as well as a new flagship Waitrose shop and cafe to be included in each location.

Other features are to include a resident lounge, dining areas with kitchens, roof gardens, flexible work spaces and a gym.

Homes are to be built for different sized households, with options available for both short and long term tenure.

In a release, Nina Bhatia, executive director for strategy and commercial development, said: “We’ve worked closely with local communities to understand their needs and we’re now ready to submit planning applications.

“Working with our partner abrdn, we want to bring much needed new homes with a community feel to Bromley and West Ealing, which will include the full commitments to affordable housing.”