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"Quality That Matches the Market": Why the Mayor of London’s Chosen Council Housing Showcase is Built on Secured by Design

When Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan took to social media recently to champion council housebuilding in the capital, two core statements captured national attention:

"We’ve got to make sure that the quality of council homes are as good as the quality of market value homes"

"I know the difference having good quality housing makes"

These principles strike at the very heart of the UK’s housing agenda. Every resident deserves a secure, resilient, and dignified home, regardless of tenure.

There was, however, a critical detail behind the backdrop of the Mayor’s broadcast: the setting for the visit - the landmark Kidbrooke Park Road development in the Royal Borough of Greenwich - was explicitly designed and built to achieve Secured by Design (SBD) accreditation.

Kidbrooke Park Road: A Benchmark for Modern Council Housing

Delivered under Greenwich Council’s ambitious Greenwich Builds programme alongside architects HTA Design, Kidbrooke Park Road represents one of England’s largest municipal housing developments.

From the outset, Greenwich Builds mandated that Secured by Design principles be embedded directly into the planning and technical specifications. The scheme proves that net-zero carbon design, architectural distinction, and uncompromising security standards can integrate seamlessly.

Key SBD elements incorporated across the development include:

  • Natural surveillance: Clear sightlines across tree-lined pedestrian avenues, play spaces, and communal courtyards, eliminating blind spots and inactive frontages
  • Defensible space: Unambiguous demarcation between public green corridors and private residential entrances
  • Robust compartmentation & access control: High-specification audio/visual entry systems and compartmentalised access to prevent unauthorised tailgating into residential blocks
  • Tested physical security: Certified SBD-accredited doorsets and accessible windows tested against forced entry attack

What Does "Quality" Really Mean in Social Housing?

When civic leaders call for council homes to rival private market developments, aesthetics and energy efficiency are only half the equation. True quality is defined by how a home performs over decades and how safe residents feel inside it.

Historically, post-war municipal estates often suffered from convoluted pathways, unmonitored communal zones, and porous access - flaws that inadvertently fostered crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB). Secured by Design was established by the UK Police Service precisely to eliminate these vulnerabilities before a single brick is laid.

Independent academic research across thousands of developments has shown that embedding SBD:

  • Reduces domestic burglary by up to 91%, with benefits enduring decades after construction
  • Lowers rates of anti-social behaviour, criminal damage, and vehicle crime, creating peaceful neighbourhoods where families can thrive
  • Reduces maintenance, repair, and void costs for local authorities and housing associations, safeguarding public capital investment over the asset's lifecycle
  • Drives resident well-being, eliminating the daily stress and mental health toll caused by fear of crime

Supporting the UK’s Housing Delivery Mission

With major funding programmes underway across London and the national push to build 1.5 million homes across the UK, the pressure to build at speed and density is unprecedented.

Kidbrooke Park Road proves that speed and scale do not require compromise. By collaborating with local police Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) early in the pre-planning phase, developers and local authorities can design out crime without inflating build budgets.

As the Mayor rightly pointed out, good quality housing changes lives. When that housing is built to Secured by Design standards, it safeguards those life-changing benefits for generations to come.

Are you planning a residential development? Find your local Designing Out Crime Officer (DOCO) or explore our free Design Guides to embed SBD into your next project.