Up to 500 new council homes could be built under plans to help meet the future housing needs of the borough.

Harrow Borough Council has launched its Homes for Harrow plan which will have the authority regenerating some its estates and building new homes on the site of old garages.

The council will soon be consulting with people who live on nine estates around the borough for the start of feasibility studies to establish where there is potential to develop new homes.

Cabinet member for housing Barry Macleod-Cullinane said: "These projects will be a benefit not only to the people who live on the estates but to the whole community which lives near them.

“Also by building homes on the sites of unused garages we will lower the incidents of anti-social behaviour which they currently attract.”

Council officers will be visiting estates around the borough earmarked for the programme and include Grange Farm, in South Harrow, Pinner Hill and Alexandra Avenue.

The regeneration of these council estates could take up to five year to complete and the authority says the plans are in the very early stages.

The council already has plans to build nearly 50 new homes on old garage sites and plans to build another 100 in the next five years.

Cllr Macleod-Cullinane added: “The Homes for Harrow project will make the most of the land the council has to provide more homes for families who need them.

“This is about the council helping people stay in Harrow to provide more housing and meet with people’s aspiration to stay in the area where they grew up."

Asked what would happen if there was a change in administration after May’s local elections he said:“My main hope that regardless of who is in charge come May, the structure will be in place to allow this project to move forward.

“This isn’t about politics, it is about improving the homes we have and providing better homes to our tenants and the people of Harrow.”

The Homes for Harrow plans aims to create a total of 500 new affordable homes for the borough and plans for the garage site developments could be submitted by April.