MONDAY 9 MARCH 2026
Dear Resident(s),
HOUSING MAJOR WORKS PROGRAMME – WHAT THIS MEANS FOR GOLDEN LANE ESTATE AND ITS RESIDENTS
In December 2025, our Policy Chairman Christopher Hayward and CCS Committee Chair Helen Fentimen wrote to you, confirming that the Court of Common Council (the City of London’s primary decision-making body), approved a £211 million programme to accelerate ongoing improvements across all 12 City Corporation Housing estates. This includes an injection of £152 million of the City Corporation’s own money to deliver this programme.
Since that announcement, the City Corporation has already made progress in developing the Housing Major Works Programme. We recognise that Golden Lane Estate needs major investment to provide a safe, warm and sustainable home for every resident.
Our plans for Golden Lane Estate include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Roof covering replacement, window refurbishment, external fabric repairs, fire safety works, communal decorations and essential electrical upgrade works
- The Major Works Renewal Programme for the Golden Lane Estate has been split into 5 separate packages, each of which will be separately tendered:
- Crescent House – anticipated start on site Autumn 2027
- Cuthbert Harrowing House – anticipated start on site Summer/Autumn 2027
- Great Arthur House – anticipated start on site Winter 2028
- Basterfield, Bayer, Bowater and Stanley Cohen Houses – anticipated start on site Autumn 2031
- Cullum Welch and Hatfield Houses – anticipated start on site Spring 2032
In addition to the projects listed above, the Major Works Team will also be delivering several programmes across the entire housing stock (which will include Golden Lane Estate). These programmes will focus on the following areas of work:
- Decent Homes 2: kitchen and bathroom replacement, gas central heating and domestic electrical upgrades to tenanted properties
- Estate planned maintenance: fencing, paving, boundary walls, CCTV, ramps and landscaping within outdoor spaces on the estates
These will all be carefully coordinated to minimise disruption to residents and we will be aiming to deliver them over 5 years from 2028-33.
This year will be largely spent working with external consultants, who are needed to help design and manage the works to a professional standard. We expect that the Crescent House and Cuthbert Harrowing House packages will be tendered later this year, although works are not expected to start until late 2027.
Rest assured that we will be keeping you regularly informed on progress and resident consultation events will be held at a suitable venue either on or near your estate as the design work progresses.
The City Corporation has a Major Works webpage which is regularly updated. Please see: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/housing-and-homelessness/major-works-programme to find out more information. Alternatively, you can contact the project team directly via the dedicated website https://www.goldenlaneprojects.co.uk/ if you have any further questions.
We look forward to working with you over the coming months and years.
Yours faithfully
Greg Wade
Head of Major Works
