A meeting of the Council’s Cabinet Procurement Committee agreed the appointment on 20 January following a tender process, with construction of the 14 shared ownership and four market sale homes, to help pay for the £5.6million development, expected to start within weeks at the cleared site in Reading Lane.

The contract with Osborne requires six apprentices from Hackney be taken on, and that a minimum of a quarter of the company’s workforce be drawn from the borough, through the Council’s Ways Into Work scheme.

The shared ownership homes, designed by Karakusevic Carson Architects, will be made up of five one-bedroom, seven two-bedroom, and two three-bedroom properties, and will be managed by Hackney Homes and marketed when built to local residents.

Planning permission was received in September last year for the development of a mix of two, three and four storeys, and which includes 114sqm of space for offices and shops to also help pay for the works.

A spokeswoman for Osborne said: "We are delighted to be appointed to this contract and look forward to making a difference to the community in which we work. Creating opportunities through apprenticeships and guaranteeing local employment, ultimately benefits the Borough of Hackney, as well as developing the next generation of tradesman in the construction industry."

The development at the site is part of Hackney Council's borough-wide, 2,760-home housing regeneration programme for building homes for social renting, shared ownership, and private sale to help pay for the works. This programme is now in its fifth year with 201 homes for social renting, 20 for shared ownership/equity, and 42 for private sale built so far.

For more information on employment and training opportunities through the Council’s Ways Into Work scheme, please visit www.hackney.gov.uk/wiw