Kingston Council has brought forward initial proposals to redevelop the former care home Murray House to provide affordable housing for vulnerable residents. 

The previous care home on Acre Road was closed in 2018 after demand was "significantly reduced" and under-occupied after a Care Quality Commission report.  

Working with community stakeholders, internal colleagues and a design team, the council hopes to provide housing at council rent levels, for Kingston's older residents and for individuals with learning disabilities. 

As of July 2023, Kingston Council had 4170 applicants to the housing register. 

The scheme looks to create over 40 homes by regenerating an existing, well-located and vacant site, and will provide new private and public landscaping as part of a high-quality and sustainable, carbon neutral design.  

The proposal has been developed based on an expectation that the Council will not provide on-site care provision directly. General needs housing for older persons does not include a care service within the service contract. 

For the learning disability specialist accommodation, the Council intends to commission third-party care services through a framework. The operational and management model will be developed in detail alongside the design and cost work as the proposal is developed up to a planning application. 

Cllr Emily Davey, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: "Projects like this, that help us to create new, affordable homes at council rent levels for some of our most vulnerable residents, are high on our list of priorities as a council." 

 By focussing on what our residents need, we can deliver the right places for them to live that maximise people's wellbeing and independence, whilst also ensuring that we create sustainable homes that help us towards a carbon neutral future." 

To find out more about the project, give your views and meet the project team, please come along to one of our drop in engagement events: 

Saturday 28th October, 11am – 3pm 

Thursday 2nd November, 4pm – 7pm 

Both events will be at The Pixton Room, Units 5-7 Canbury Business Park, Elm Crescent, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT2 6HL.