Five development and management consortia have been shortlisted by national regeneration agency, English Partnerships, to proceed to the next stage of the London-Wide Initiative (LWI).

The LWI has been created to generate a model to fast-track the delivery of affordable homes in Greater London, and the selection process aims to appoint one or more partners.

As part of the next stage, Countryside Properties, QUINTessential Homes, First Base Partnership, The London H2O Partnership and Key London Alliance, have been asked to prepare proposals in response to development briefs for three brownfield sites.

The sites, in Catford, Elephant & Castle and East India Docks, are part of a portfolio of 12 owned by English Partnerships and each presents a different development opportunity that will test the ability of the shortlist to come up with innovative design solutions.

John Lewis, Director of English Partnerships’ Strategic Joint Ventures Division, says: "The LWI has evoked a lot of excitement in the market and this is confirmed by the exceptional short list we’ve selected.”

“We want to allow potential partners free rein to come up with workable models that will increase speed of delivery and provide cost savings, but still result in well-designed, quality homes. Working across this small, but testing, portfolio of sites will emulate the challenges and benefits presented by the full portfolio."

More than 30 consortia submitted expressions of interest in response to a notice posted in April 2004.

Prospective partners will make their full submissions at the beginning of September and the selection panel - made up of representatives from English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and the Greater London Authority (GLA) – will announce the result in January 2005, following detailed negotiations. Work on planning and design should also begin in early 2005.

The LWI aims to deliver 15,000 key-worker homes within five years and a pilot phase, across the first 12 sites, is expected to deliver around 3,500 homes, 2,000 of which will be for key workers. The initiative will help bridge the gap in the supply of affordable homes required to meet the needs predicted by the GLA, which estimates that 31,900 new homes are needed each year, 50 per cent of which should be affordable.

While the solutions put forward by the winning bidders will be judged on individual merits, they must meet a range of objectives laid down by English Partnerships. These include design excellence, cost savings through volume procurement, incorporation of sustainable Modern Methods of Construction, reduced service charges and creation of an asset base with long-term investment potential.

English Partnerships’ major contribution will be to minimise the risk associated with site assembly, allowing partners to concentrate more fully on innovation in construction and design techniques. A pre-development investment programme is already underway to make the sites ready for building work.