Our approach to affordable housing, design quality and placemaking
What is the MAHP?
The Mayor’s Accelerated Housing Programme is an ambitious, borough-wide initiative to accelerate the delivery of high-quality, genuinely affordable homes across Tower Hamlets.
Building Tower Hamlets
The programme will create sustainable, well-designed homes and neighbourhoods that respond to local housing needs, strengthen communities and deliver lasting social value.
Celebrating Tower Hamlets
Every scheme will seek to reflect and enhance the borough’s distinctive character, rich heritage and diverse communities through thoughtful design, inclusive placemaking and high-quality public spaces.
MAHP takes a portfolio-wide approach to housing delivery, enabling the Council to balance tenure, housing mix and viability across different sites. The programme will deliver at least 51% affordable housing, with a minimum of 85% of affordable homes for social rent, alongside a strong focus on larger family homes that respond directly to local need.
Quality and placemaking are central to every scheme. Homes will be well designed, accessible and sustainable, supported by high-quality public realm, landscaping and community spaces. Proposals will respond to their local context and be shaped through engagement with residents, creating inclusive neighbourhoods that are attractive, connected and built to last.
Frequently asked questions
Who will fund the affordable housing?
The Council has budgeted for the cost of delivering the first batch of affordable homes (subject to confirmation of grant funding from the GLA's London Affordable Homes Programme (LAHP).
Future phases will be funded by a mix of Council funding, further LAHP grant funding, and cross-subsidy from market housing delivered as part of the Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme (MAHP).
The Council is also keen to hear from institutional investors with an interest in providing long-term funding for affordable homes delivered through the MAHP and its other programmes.
Who will manage the affordable housing?
The Council would prefer to manage the affordable housing itself.
For that reason, we have developed proposals for each site on the basis that affordable and market housing will be delivered in separate blocks, allowing developers flexibility over management arrangements for private blocks.
Is the Council open to alternative options to market sale housing?
Yes, we understand that developers might want to propose alternative models, including rental products. The Council's key objective is to deliver the affordable housing and to optimise the balance between the level of cross-subsidy generated and the timing and certainty of receipts.