HARROW East MP Tony McNulty, the Minister for London, officially opened the new housing estate at the the former RAF Stanmore Park on Friday morning

The new estate has 411 homes, of which 117 are on offer at "affordable rent" and 18 are in a shared ownership scheme run by a housing association for people who cannot buy outright. These homes have been built to the same quality and design as the privately owned ones.

The completion of the Stanmore Park re-development marks the culmination of a partnership between Harrow Council, the Housing Corporation and Laing homes,with housebuilders Barratts and Bellway, the Metropolitan Housing Trust, the Asra, Innisfree and housing associations.

Mr McNulty, who has responsibilty for housing within the office of the Deputy Prime MInister, said: "Land is a precious and scarce commodity and it is vital we make the best use of it. This is a new, living and vibrant community and I defy anyone to walk around this site and pick out what is social housing and what is private housing.

"It has been a long road getting this far, but watching bricks and mortar turned into homes and a community for local people reminds me of the reason I got into politics."

Councillor Navin Shah, who was chairman of Harrow Council's planning committee when the development was given the go-ahead, said: "This is a momentous day for Harrow, and to see this project become a reality gives me great pleasure. Stanmore Park is a living example of how, by working together, we can genuinely improve the quality of life for the people of Harrow and promote social cohesion."

Councillor Keith Burchell, chairman of the council's development control committee, welcomed the opening of the scheme, saying: "It is a credit to all those involved, the developers, council planners and our partner housing associations."