Celebrating Topping Out at Patmore Street
The final bricks have been laid on Battersea’s Patmore estate – part of the next wave of homes under the council’s pioneering ‘Homes for Wandsworth’ initiative.
The initiative is delivering 1,000 new council homes for rent – helping to address the housing shortage and ensuring residents in overcrowded or temporary accommodation can move into a secure property they can call home.
Our Patmore Street development is delivering 57 new council rent homes along with a community room, bicycle parking and enhanced outdoor amenity space including a children’s play area and multi-use games space for the London Borough of Wandsworth. This new housing block has been built on a classic brownfield site, previously mainly occupied by a vacant and semi-derelict non-residential building.
These new homes – which comprise 21 one-bed flats, 24 two-bed flats, 8 with three bedrooms and 4 more that have four bedrooms – will support families of varying sizes who are registered on the council’s housing lists. Six of the homes will be fully adapted for wheelchair access.
On 15th February 2024, Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem attended a Topping Out ceremony to formally mark the completion of the external construction.
He said: “This is an excellent new housing scheme that is delivering 57 genuinely affordable, high-quality council rent homes for local people in housing need.
“I’m delighted too that one of the buildings is being named in memory of a wonderful local campaigner and former Battersea councillor Sally-Ann Ephson – in tribute to her work on behalf of the local community, and in particular for her campaigning efforts to raise awareness of Sickle Cell anaemia.”
Andy Bugler, Bugler Group CEO said, ““We were pleased to welcome Cllr. Aydin Dikerdem, alongside Joe Richardson, Head of Housing Development, Richard Goodman, Development Project Manager and colleagues from Wandsworth Borough Council and Client’s Representative Potter Raper to Patmore Street in Battersea for the official Topping Out ceremony. We have a history of building in the Borough, but this is our first project working directly with the Council and the whole team is looking forward to delivering much needed affordable homes for the local community as part of the “Homes for Wandsworth” initiative. We were proud to provide all with a tour of the site before Cllr. Dikerdem laid the ceremonial last brick on site. I am looking forward to welcoming the team back for completion in the coming months.”
Battersea MP Marsha de Cordova said: “Councillor Sally-Ann Ephson left an incredible legacy in Queenstown and Battersea. She was dedicated to serving and representing her local community. It’s great that we now have a permanent memorial honouring her legacy.”
Sally-Ann moved to Battersea when she was 10 years old and attended Falconbrook Primary School. She was born with Sickle Cell anaemia, an inherited health condition that affects red blood cells. Despite her challenges she followed in the footsteps of her father, Jacob Ephson, who was an active community leader, and became a champion for her local community, especially for people with disabilities and from black or ethnic minority backgrounds.
Sally-Ann served on the board of the Sickle Cell Society, advocating for healthcare reform for those suffering with the condition, and went on to serve on Wandsworth Council between 2014 and 2016 before she sadly passed away from the disease.
