Hackney council to make final decision next month over who will regenerate Woodberry Down estate
Woodberry Down: A straight fight between two major developers
Crest Nicholson is competing with Berkeley Homes to regenerate the Woodberry Down council estate in north London, a contract worth £850m.
Hackney council is due to decide next month which of the developers will carry out the scheme, one of the largest in the capital.
Crest Nicholson is working with architects Stanton Williams, Cartwright Pickard and HTA. Berkeley’s architect is Rolfe Judd.
The successful developer will work to a masterplan drawn up by planning consultant Urban Practitioners. An outline consent, granted last year, stipulates that 1500 of the 2000 homes in the estate will be demolished and the remainder refurbished.
The application calls for 3600 homes in a mix of houses and flats, of which 1600 will be rental, 300 shared ownership and 1000 sold on the market. Two hundred homes are for key workers.
Hackney’s contract is understood to increase the overall total of homes provided to 4300.
The project involves contributions towards social facilities, including a school, and a refurbishment of Manor House underground station on the edge of the estate. Hackney is also in talks with English Partnerships over further regeneration work on sites surrounding the estate.
A council spokesperson said the authority had completed a quality assessment of the shortlisted candidates and was undertaking a financial evaluation of the bids.
She said: “A final decision is to be made by cabinet next month.”
Under the original plans, Hackney had sought a registered social landlord to carry out the project. Genesis Housing Group, the RSL that has managed Woodberry Down since the regeneration of the estate was first proposed five years ago, is understood to be upset that it has been overlooked. Genesis chief executive Anu Vedi said: “We have written seeking clarification. ”
Guy Nicholson, Hackney regeneration executive member, denied the project had been badly delayed. He said: “We continue to move forward.”
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