Peter Marsh, incoming Chief Executive of the TSA, Cllr Greenhalgh, LBHF and the Deputy Mayor of LBHF, Cllr Alex Karmel joined Octavia Housing tenants, architects, designers and other housing sector professionals see first hand the impressive development and celebrate the nine design awards and commendations it has achieved.

Entitled “Un fête de Notre Succés”, the event had a distinctly French presence, complete with French food and music, in recognition of the original motivation for the design - an Anglo-French competition, which aimed to develop best practice in the design of affordable housing in both the UK and France through experimental projects.

Completed in July 2007, this £15 million scheme by Cartwright Pickard and B+C Architects is an exemplary model for affordable housing, which achieves the highest architectural and urban quality while creating a sense of place and identity. It is also a very successful answer to the potentially difficult issue of integrating the new Westfield Shopping Centre with the existing listed housing.

Bourbon Lane has won an outstanding nine design awards and commendations, including those from RIBA London, the Civic Trust 2008, CABE, Government and the popular press, putting it on the map alongside national treasures such as the Royal Festival Hall and St Pancras International Station.

Grahame Hindes, Chief Executive of Octavia Housing said: 

“We are extremely proud of Bourbon Lane. Our tenants deserve the best in housing design, and Bourbon Lane shows that we are committed to giving them this”.

 Speaking at the event, TSA Chief Executive, Peter Marsh, said:

“The TSA has a statutory objective to encourage the supply of well managed social housing and Bourbon Lane proves that social housing can, and should be, at the cutting edge of design.  It is a fantastic example of the kind of innovation that the housing sector needs.”

 Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council added : 

“With high house prices and the credit crunch making mortgages harder to come by, buying your first home can be a distant dream for many Londoners. But, with excellent schemes like Bourbon Lane, this council is helping low and middle income earners to get that vital first step on the ladder."