The first cohort of residents have moved into Ilford’s newest affordable housing development.

Paragon, a Swan Housing development, offers a mix of 141 affordable homes for rent, as well as homes for shared ownership.

Homeowners had previously spoken to the Recorder about the months of misery they have gone through as developers repeatedly pushed back completion dates - leaving some of them at risk of homelessness.

Deputy leader of Redbridge Council, Councillor Kam Rai, was joined by Councillor Farah Hussain, cabinet member for housing and homelessness, and Sandra Fawcett, executive director, to welcome the first group of residents to the development in Ilford Hill on Wednesday, October 2.

More than half of the new residents came from temporary accommodation and have now been given the chance to lay roots and enjoy the stability of having a permanent home in the borough, the council said.

Councillor Jas Athwal, council leader, said: "London is in the grip of a housing crisis, with just under 5,500 households waiting for a home in Redbridge.

"This new development shows once again that we are delivering on our pledge to deliver 1,000 affordable homes.

"We appreciate we can't tackle the shortage of homes alone and I want to thank both Swan Housing and the mayor for their support and for helping us provide a fresh start for local families."

Cllr Hussain added: "I'm really pleased to welcome the first wave of residents to Paragon.

"This new development is another example of the great strides being made in tackling the borough's housing shortage.

"We know the difference that a permanent, good quality and genuinely affordable home can make.

"Our building programme will provide a fresh start for local families and helps us to tackle London's housing crisis locally."

Paragon is the latest in a wave of building projects as part of the council's pledge to tackle the borough's housing shortage by creating 1,000 new affordable homes by 2022 - 600 of which will be council homes.

The housebuilding programme will provide genuinely affordable permanent homes for residents, the council said.