UK's First Women-only Housing Scheme Opens in Acton
Over 100 affordable flats providing safe haven at Brooke House
The entrance to Brooke House. Picture: Ealing Council
April 1, 2026
The UK’s first women-only housing development has opened in Acton, delivering more than 100 new genuinely affordable homes and offering a lifeline to women in need of safe, secure accommodation.
Brooke House, which replaces an outdated 39-home estate on the same site, provides 102 flats for social rent along with communal spaces and landscaped gardens. The development is the first in the country designed exclusively for women, reflecting growing demand for housing that meets the specific needs of single women and women-only households.
The building’s name has been subtly amended from “Brook House” to “Brooke House” in tribute to Emma Brooke, the 19th-century novelist and campaigner for women’s and workers’ rights. A striking mural in the entrance foyer celebrates women from past, present and future, with Brooke featured prominently.
Ealing Council currently has more than 6,000 households on its waiting list for a socially rented home, including over 600 women who are applying alone or as part of a women-only household. Around 40% of the new homes at Brooke House will be allocated to these residents, including essential workers such as teachers, NHS staff and transport workers. The remaining homes will be nominated by Women’s Pioneer Housing, one of only two women-only housing associations in the UK, which owns the building and will manage it in partnership with L&Q.
The development arrives at a time when the national housing crisis is hitting women particularly hard. With private rents continuing to rise and the gender pay gap limiting women’s financial independence, many face acute barriers to securing stable housing. For those recovering from domestic abuse or leaving unsafe living situations, the need for secure, women-only accommodation is even more urgent.
A mural in the entrance foyer celebrates women from past, present and future. Picture: Ealing Council
Nicky Fiedler, Ealing Council’s strategic director of housing and environment, said the development would have a transformative impact. “Brooke House’s high-quality, modern, affordable homes will change the lives of the women who move into them. For women across west London who need safety and stability, Brooke House stands as a powerful example of how thoughtful development can meet real community need.”
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