Pic: Liza Fior, muf architecture/art; Adam Khan, Adam Khan Architects; Motty Friesel, Hatzola; Andy Fancy, Countryside. Hackney council

Hackney Council has begun building 132 properties in Stamford Hill.

The project was one of 16 winners at the Housing Design Awards 2017 and will replace previous homes on the Tower Court site, alongside a new base for volunteer-led ambulance service Hatzola.

The site, overlooking Clapton Common, will include 33 homes for social rent, 19 for shared ownership and 80 properties for private sale. According to Hackney Council, this is to help finance the development in lieu of government funding.

The Stamford Hill area is populated by Europe’s largest Orthodox Jewish community.  The new homes were designed by Adam Khan Architects in collaboration with muf architecture/art, who worked closely with the community.

The new properties are designed to accommodate larger families and will have kitchens that can be adapted to meet Kosher requirements, including balconies that allow for the traditional tent-like structure, or  sukkah to be built for those celebrating the Jewish festival of Sukkot.

An artist’s impression of the regeneration of Tower Court Pic: Hackney Council

According to Hackney Council, the new “genuinely affordable” Council residences will be prioritised for families who lived in Tower Court prior to its demolition in 2014, with the remainder allocated to those who need it most on the Council’s waiting list.

The mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, joined members of the Stamford Hill community and the Council’s contractor, Countryside to mark the commencement of the construction.

Diane Abbott MP and Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney. Pic: Hackney Council

The redevelopment is one of more than 20 sites on which Hackney plan to build 2,000 new homes by 2022.

Mayor Glanville said: “Just as importantly, by working hard to understand the needs of local people here in Stamford Hill, our plans for Tower Court show that the homes we build are firmly rooted in their communities and available and accessible to everyone who might need them.”

He added: “With Hackney facing a severe housing crisis and over 13,000 people waiting for a Council home, this milestone is further proof that we’re doing everything we can to deliver the genuinely affordable housing we need to help families who need it most.”