Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz says good quality homes are “a right”, as building begins on housing projects in Forest Gate and Canning Town.

Eight homes in Idmiston Road, Forest Gate are due to be built by next February and another 15 in Malmesbury Terrace, Canning Town are expected to be finished by June 2022.

Ms Fiaz, who visited the sites for the groundbreaking ceremonies, said: “Everyone has a right to live in a good quality home.

“My heart goes out to local families, whom I hear from every day, living in overcrowded and sub-standard housing, which we are tackling through investing millions in upgrading council stock and building genuinely affordable homes in Newham.

“As mayor, my mission is to champion people’s needs and that’s why among my top priorities is making sure Newham Council does all that it can to provide local people with the homes they deserve and can afford.

"I’m really proud that we have started work on yet more housing projects across Newham that will help deliver the high quality homes our people deserve."

The sites of the new homes were previously taken up by under-used garages.

The town hall says the homes will be built to ambitious sustainability standards, with a reduced carbon footprint during the construction process and when occupied - resulting in lower fuel bills for residents.

Both developments will be car free, in line with planning policy, but there will be disabled parking spaces at the Malmesbury Terrace development.

“I’m determined to lead a local recovery out of Covid-19 that makes Newham a better place for people by providing homes and investing to create jobs that pay a decent wage,” Ms Fiaz said.

“I’m delighted that we’ll be pushing ahead with more home projects in the next few weeks."

Barking-based contractors Rooff will operate a Covid-compliant operation at both sites throughout the builds under the Construction Leadership Council guidelines.

These are regularly reviewed to ensure they are maintaining and managing social distancing, tight hygiene control, one way access where necessary, handwashing and temperature checks.