Council buys Hopkinson House to provide 33 temporary accommodation units

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The purchase will allow Westminster City Council to place households in need of emergency housing within the borough. 

Westminster City Council is pleased to announce that it has bought Hopkinson House for use as temporary accommodation. The purchase was made as part of the Council’s temporary accommodation acquisitions programme and will be used to meet the increasing demand for emergency housing in Westminster.  

Hopkinson House, at 88 Vauxhall Bridge Road, is a large 4-storey Victorian building built in 1906. In recent years, it has been a hostel for vulnerable adults. The Council's acquisition will replace the hostel, with the building converted to provide 33 in-borough temporary accommodation homes for Westminster families. 

The property was previously owned by a housing association that made the decision to put the building up for sale in 2022. The council conducted a thorough financial appraisal, demonstrating that the acquisition offers good value for money and complies with the Council's fiduciary duty to taxpayers. The purchase will be funded from the Temporary Acquisitions budget and some external grant funding is also expected.  

The building will now undergo refurbishment, subject to planning consent. Once the renovation is completed, it will contain a mix of larger and smaller units with the intention to maximise the number of family-sized units. This initiative is part of the Council's ongoing programme of temporary accommodation acquisitions, which was recently accelerated with an extra allocation of £85 million approved by the Cabinet. 

Councillor David Boothroyd, Cabinet Member for Finance and Council Reform, said: “As with many other local authorities, Westminster City Council is seeing a significant increase in approaches from individuals and households in housing need. The end of private rented tenancies and the inability to find alternative affordable accommodation, together with family breakdown and domestic violence are the most common reasons given by those seeking housing support. 

"We have set aside capital funding to buy property to suit temporary tenants, so council taxpayers do not end up having to pay over the odds to put people in hotels. Hopkinson House was very suitable, and we're pleased our negotiations to acquire it were successful. 

“We’ll now begin looking at options for reconfiguration of Hopkinson House in order to provide appropriate housing for families and individuals for whom we have a duty.” 

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