Women-only tower block to open next summer

Ealing Council is set to complete Brook House, a new housing block in Acton, by summer 2025, providing 102 affordable flats exclusively for women. This initiative addresses the needs of over 600 single women on the council's waiting list and aims to support survivors of domestic abuse. Women's Pioneer Housing will manage the site, which replaces an old estate that no longer meets modern living standards. Council leader Peter Mason highlighted the urgent need for specialist women-only accommodation, citing nearly 3,500 domestic abuse cases in Ealing over the past year. The project aims to alleviate the housing crisis that disproportionately impacts women, who face a persistent gender pay gap.

Women's Pioneer Housing, founded in 1920, manages around 1,000 properties and seeks to influence housing providers to better serve single women. The new flats will be rented at significantly lower rates than equivalent private sector homes. Construction is being carried out by L&Q, with completion expected next summer.