Grace House

For the past few years we have been working on the redevelopment of Grace (formerly called Dora) House; a former 205 unit 1960s sheltered housing scheme in St John’s Wood, London, opposite Lord’s Cricket Ground. The redevelopment reopened in August 2022 and we are currently welcoming new and returning residents.

For over 45 years, Dora House provided a home for residents but it no longer met the needs or standard of accommodation that our residents deserve.

Following a detailed co-design process with our residents C&C announced a plan to demolish the existing Dora House and construct a new and improved House on the Lodge Road side of the site.

The old building was demolished in early 2020 and construction on the site was able to continue throughout the current Covid-19 crisis - meaning we managed to complete the new building ahead of schedule.

The new building - renamed Grace House following a resident competition - delivers adaptable apartments that exceed the Mayors’ space standards, specialist services for residents and a range of communal facilities, some of which may in time be open to the wider public.

Grace House was formally opened by Lord Richard Best, social housing minister, in October 2022.

Interest in Grace House

We collaborated with ex-Dora House residents on a number of aspects of the new build, from finishes and fixtures and fittings to communal landscaping.

Former residents of Dora House were given the right to return to the redevelopment. A large number have taken this opportunity and have now moved into the new Grace House.

For new applicants, all applications are being received by Westminster City Council’s housing department. They are only open to those who are eligible for affordable housing through Westminster City Council and who require housing.

You can learn more about Grace House by reading our case study.

Virtual tour of apartment at Grace House

The St John's Wood development site comprises of two buildings:

Building 1 – Grace House, a replacement scheme for over 55s, fronting Lodge Road. Consisting of 170 units, of which 17 are for market rent and 153 for affordable housing
Building 2 – A private apartment block fronting St John’s Wood Road. This part of the site was sold to Regal West London to fund the construction of Building 1.

Project details:

Project name: C&C St John’s Wood

Units/Floors: 170 units over 13 floors
Developer: Regal One London Construction
Employers Agent: Gleeds Cost Management Ltd
Architect: Ryder Architects
Completion: Summer 2022
Planning Status: Full Planning Approved 4^th November 2019

Dora Chapters

We produced eight ‘chapters’ forming a documentary about C&C’s Dora House redevelopment. It explores key elements involved in a redevelopment, including how residents felt at different stages and worked with us to find inspiring solutions.

You can watch the final chapter below, along with a timelapse video showing the progress at the redeveloped site:

You can watch the previous Dora Chapters here.

We are unable to accept direct applications for Grace House. Should we be able to do so in the future we will release details of how to apply.

Contact Development@ccht.org.uk with any queries about our homes that are currently for sale.