Walthamstow housing scheme reaches next phase of development

On Wednesday 11 December, Waltham Forest Council and contractor, The Hill Group, officially opened the new children’s play area at Priory Court Estate, the latest phase of the new development scheme in Walthamstow. The vibrant and colourful play area includes lots of new equipment for children to enjoy, such as climbing frames / towers, swings, slides, trampolines, a zip line as well as a new rubber play resurface and benches so residents can sit while their little ones have fun.   

Overall, the development will include a mixture of 83 new one-, two- and three-bedroom affordable homes, including eight fully accessible units. There are 21 homes allocated for social rent, with 10 reserved as family sized apartments with three bedrooms, while 62 properties will be provided for local people as shared ownership.  

In addition to the new homes, the estate will benefit from a new larger multi-use games area (MUGA) built to Sports England standards, complete with floodlights and a designated seating area. The new MUGA will replace the current facility on the estate. A new children’s play space, complete with a range of equipment, plus a ‘play way’ route featuring a variety of recreational activities alongside landscaped areas will be developed. Finally, estate improvement works, including CCTV and enhanced street lighting will also be installed. 

The Hill Group, an award-winning five-star housebuilder, was awarded the contract to build the new homes. They have had previous successes in the borough with Juniper House and Wood Street Families and Homes Hub, to date delivering over £1.6million in social value that have benefited local residents, as well as providing job opportunities for local people.

Councillor Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration said: “It was great being on site and see the works start on this new development scheme. We are proactive and ambitious with our housing delivery plans to tackle the housing crisis. Building more social housing for local families who are on our housing register list is vital and reduces the number of people living in temporary accommodation. Over the next 10 years, we plan to build over 3,000 new homes and this scheme is just one part of how we are delivering on this promise. 

“This scheme will provide lots of other benefits for existing tenants, other local residents and the wider community. Residents can now use the new children’s play area and look forward to the modern MUGA. New jobs and apprenticeships opportunities will also be created for local people during the construction phase.”

Simon Trice, Managing Director at The Hill Group, said: “We are delighted to be working once again with Waltham Forest Council on the Priory Court Estate project. This continues our long-standing partnership and reflects our commitment to creating more energy-efficient, affordable homes for the Walthamstow community.”