Lewisham Council has appointed The Hill Group as its long-term strategic development partner to accelerate affordable housing delivery, regeneration and investment across the London Borough of Lewisham. The partnership will run for an initial 10 years, with an option to extend for a further five years, and could cover up to £1.5 billion (US$2 billion) in construction delivery. The partnership will enable the Council to work directly with Hill across multiple projects rather than procuring a separate developer for each scheme. This is intended to speed up project delivery while allowing the Council to retain greater control over quality, affordability, sustainability and delivery timescales. Hill will also support local employment, skills training, education and wider community investment. The first schemes under the partnership include Thomas' Lane Yard in Catford, which will deliver 113 affordable homes, comprising 39 social-rent homes and 74 shared-ownership homes. The second is the Achilles Street Estate Regeneration in New Cross, which will deliver 278 new homes, including 122 for social rent, with at least 62% affordable housing.

The partnership is being established against a significant housing need in Lewisham, with more than 10,000 households on the housing register and around 2,450 households in temporary accommodation. The Council expects the long-term arrangement to help unlock complex development sites and deliver homes and regeneration projects at greater scale and speed.