Housing minister confirms appointment of ex-Lendlease MD to lead expert group

The housing minister has set out his mission for the government’s Euston Housing Delivery Group in a ministerial statement to parliament.

Matthew Pennycook confirmed the appointment, first announced in the Budget on Wednesday, of Bek Seeley as the chair of the expert group.

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Source: Shutterstock

The waiting area outside the existing Euston station at night

Seeley was managing director for Europe development at Lendlease until 2023, leaving to establish regeneration developer Place Partners, which is based in London and Birmingham.

In his statement to MPs, Pennycook explained that meeting the challenges around Euston required “bold action”.

This week’s Budget included funding for tunnelling to bring the HS2 project from Old Oak Common in West London to a revamped Euston Station, and Pennycook said his department was “committed to supporting the delivery of significant numbers of new homes alongside this project”.

The Euston Housing Delivery Group will work in partnership with the local London Borough of Camden and advise ministers and local leaders on “an ambitious housing and regeneration initiative for Euston”.

Pennycook said the group would be “assessing the shape and scale of the opportunity for growth in the area, and acting as a driving force for new investment in the area”.

“My department will work with local leaders and communities to ensure that the redevelopment of Euston is an example of exemplary placemaking,” he said.

“Housing delivery and commercial development will be backed by the necessary social infrastructure and amenities to create thriving new communities and bolster existing ones.”

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“Ready access to primary healthcare, spaces in primary and secondary schools, and access to open green spaces for communities will be central to our vision.”

The scheme brought forward will aim to support a life sciences district to complement the nearby Knowledge Quarter around Kings Cross.

According to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the full delivery group will be made up of experts in urban design, landscape architecture, affordable housing delivery and financing large-scale projects.

In her own statement, released by the department, Seeley said she was “hugely excited” to chair the group.

“My ambition is that Euston provides safe and welcoming homes, ensuring that every resident feels secure and valued and that Euston is also a place that the UK is proud of on the world stage, driving our broader economy forwards,” she said.

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