28 November 2025
Anchor secures planning for 100% affordable extra care scheme in the London Borough of Newham
Anchor, with the support of PRP, has secured planning permission for a major extension to Cardamom Court in the London Borough of Newham, delivering 37 much-needed new affordable extra care apartments for older people.
The scheme will increase the existing 1990s development to 70 homes, all of which will be 100% affordable. Working together, Anchor, England's largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for people in later life, and award-winning architects PRP, have designed a four-storey extension to replace an existing day centre to provide 37 new extra care homes alongside improved communal facilities and outdoor spaces for all residents.
All new apartments, designed by PRP, are dual aspect with private balconies or terraces and meet London Plan space standards, with ten percent designed as wheelchair accessible homes.
A primary concept for the extension was to engage with the existing community, to make new facilities that benefit everyone on the site. The scheme includes a new entrance opening onto a landscaped courtyard garden, with communal spaces that encourage social interaction. All new apartments exceed current space standards and are designed to serve as long-term homes for residents, with accessible kitchens and level-access bathrooms. New outdoor spaces will include a communal courtyard garden and roof terrace, as well as pathways around the site leading to a south facing garden. The scheme achieves biodiversity net gain through careful planting and includes a green roof integrated with photovoltaic panels.
Nick Hodgskin, Head of Regeneration at Anchor, said:
We’re delighted to be working with Newham Council to deliver an additional 37 high-quality Extra-Care affordable homes for social rent, supporting older people and their evolving needs. At Anchor, we’re dedicated to creating homes where people can enjoy later life to the fullest. Cardamom Court is a great example of how thoughtfully designed communities can be created to meet the needs of older people in London.
Mary Hutchison, Associate Director at PRP said:
Extra care housing gives older people independence, dignity and community, but there's nowhere near enough of it, particularly affordable options.
This scheme shows how we can make better use of existing sites to deliver the homes older Londoners desperately need. Rather than demolishing and starting again, we've designed a high-quality extension that sits comfortably in its context and gives both new and existing residents brilliant spaces to enjoy.
