Arada London and Clarion Housing Group Top Out 30 Social Rent Homes at 100 Chalk Farm Road in Camden
Arada London and Clarion Housing Group have celebrated the topping out of 100 Chalk Farm Road in Camden, a development that will deliver 30 new social rent homes as part of a broader forward-purchase partnership spanning three sites in the borough.
The milestone, marked at a ceremony attended by representatives from Camden Council, Clarion Housing Group and Arada London, confirms that the building has reached its planned maximum height. Guests took part in a ceremonial cement laying to mark the occasion. Completion of the homes is expected in spring 2028.
A Three-Site Partnership Delivering 136 Social Rent Homes
100 Chalk Farm Road is one of three Camden sites where Clarion Housing Group has agreed the forward purchase of affordable homes from Arada London. The other two sites are 100 Avenue Road and Jamestown Road. Together, the three schemes are set to deliver 136 new social rent homes across the borough — 30 at 100 Chalk Farm Road, 79 at 100 Avenue Road and 27 at Jamestown Road.
All 136 homes are being built by Arada London's in-house construction arm and are designed to meet Clarion's social rent quality standards. Upon completion, Clarion Housing Group will manage the homes across all three sites.
The 100 Chalk Farm Road scheme comprises three blocks ranging from six to 12 storeys and includes 264 purpose-built student accommodation beds alongside more than 13,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The site sits adjacent to the Grade II-listed Roundhouse and within the Regent's Park Canal Conservation Area. The affordable component of the scheme was expanded during the planning process, increasing from 24 homes in earlier proposals to the current 30.
100 Avenue Road, located near Regent's Park and Hampstead Heath, pairs its 79 social rent homes with 172 private one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with practical completion expected in summer 2028. Across the three sites, the combined programme includes 442 purpose-built student accommodation beds, 172 private homes and 136 affordable homes.
Executives Highlight Partnership Model and Housing Need
Clare Miller, Chief Executive Officer at Clarion Housing Group, said the development represented the type of delivery London requires.
"100 Chalk Farm Road is exactly the kind of development London needs more of, genuinely affordable homes delivered in an area where the need is desperate. Every one of these homes gives a family the chance to build a better life for themselves and their children," Miller said. "None of this happens without working in lockstep with partners and it's this kind of close partnership working that will keep new homes coming forward in the boroughs that need them most."
Richard Cook, Chief Development Officer at Clarion Housing Group, described the topping out as a significant moment for both the partnership and future residents.
"Camden needs genuinely affordable housing as much as any borough in London, and our work with Arada London shows what can be achieved when a housing association and a developer bring their strengths together. Across these three sites we are delivering 136 new social rent homes, and we look forward to seeing more of this partnership take shape in the months ahead," Cook said.
Jonathan Seal, CEO of Arada London, said the milestone reflected the value of combining an integrated developer with a housing association in a constrained market.
"Reaching the top of the building is an important moment in that process, and we are looking forward to seeing the scheme completed and the first residents move into their new homes," Seal said. "Arada is proud to be playing its part in increasing the supply of genuinely affordable homes in Camden and across London, and we look forward to seeing this partnership deliver even more in the years ahead."
Camden's Housing Shortage Provides Backdrop
The partnership comes against a backdrop of acute housing pressure in Camden and across London. Camden had 8,380 people on its social-housing waiting list in 2025, while only 84 affordable homes were started in the borough in 2025–26. Housebuilding across London has been running well below target, with higher interest rates, elevated construction costs and more complex regulations among the contributing factors.
High land values and a shrinking pipeline of viable sites have made it particularly difficult to bring forward new affordable housing in Camden. The forward-purchase structure used in this partnership addresses some of those constraints directly: by committing to acquire the affordable homes before construction completes, Clarion Housing Group provides Arada London with greater certainty over the affordable component of each mixed-use scheme, reducing sales risk and supporting the pace of delivery.
For Clarion Housing Group, the arrangement secures a pipeline of new social rent homes without requiring the housing association to originate and develop each site independently. For Camden, the model supports delivery in a borough where conventional affordable-housing development faces significant viability challenges.
Broader Strategic Context for Arada London
Arada London, part of UAE-based master developer Arada, has described a 17,000-home London pipeline. The Clarion Housing Group agreement carries broader strategic significance within that context, establishing a model in which Arada London originates and constructs schemes while Clarion acquires and manages the affordable homes upon completion.
The 100 Chalk Farm Road scheme's location within the Regent's Park Canal Conservation Area and adjacent to the Grade II-listed Roundhouse has shaped the development's design approach, with the three-block, six-to-12-storey form reflecting the need to increase density while responding to a sensitive urban setting. Ground-floor commercial space is intended to activate the Chalk Farm Road frontage.
With construction underway across all three sites and the topping-out milestone now reached at 100 Chalk Farm Road, both organisations have indicated they expect the partnership to continue delivering homes in the months and years ahead.
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