Britannia project: images of homes and school released
The latest images of the brand new secondary school and homes set to be built as part of the Britannia Leisure Centre development have been released, as residents are invited to find out more about the project at a series of drop-in sessions.
The proposals include a brand new Council leisure centre including a café and toilets (also serving Shoreditch Park); a new secondary school, sixth form and early years places; 81 council homes for social rent and to buy through shared ownership and another 400 for sale to help fund the project, in the absence of Government funding.
The Council will retain full control of the land and decisions made about the site, and is acting as developer, to ensure all income generated directly benefits local people.
The project was given approval by the Council’s Cabinet in April 2017. Since residents have helped to shape the development by taking part in workshops and giving feedback. A planning application is due to be submitted next month.
The school would provide a permanent home for The City Academy Shoreditch Park, which opened at a temporary site last year, and will eventually provide 900 much-needed places and a 200 place sixth form. The school is run by the City of London Academy Trust, who have an outstanding track record in the borough, with 89% of students at The City Academy Hackney achieving five or more A*-C grades at GCSE level. It is one of the top schools in the country for pupil progress.
The school will offer excellent facilities across its broad curriculum, for example science, music and the performing arts and will include purpose-built sports facilities and performance rooms, which will be available for community use. The permanent site will be designed to the same high standards as Hackney’s award-winning new generation of schools, providing a sustainable site fit for 21st century learning.
If granted planning permission, work is expected to start on the school in summer 2019. Work on the first residential block, including all of the affordable council housing, would also begin in summer 2019. The 81 council homes would be a mix of council homes for social rent (48) and council shared ownership (33). A further 400 properties will be sold to fund the development, but most will not be built until after the new council homes, leisure centre and school are open.
The homes will be in buildings of four to 25 storeys, with the tallest three buildings being 16,19 and 25 storeys. In the base of one of the towers there will be early years facilities for Shoreditch Park Primary School.
Architects are now working on a plan for a new public space and enhanced public realm in the area, including increasing the number of trees and play spaces.
It’s exciting to share more details about the school, which is a really important part of this project. So many parents of young children in the area have told me how relieved they are that their child will be able to go to an outstanding school near to where they live. This is about providing excellent quality school places for local children, and we’re working closely with the school to make sure their permanent site provides them with the facilities they need to provide young people with a first class education.
In developing these vital community facilities it is important that the benefits for local people are felt as soon as possible, which is why the leisure centre and school are being built first. At the same time, we’ll start work on the affordable housing, which will be a mix of council homes for social rent and shared ownership, to help people struggling to get on the housing ladder.
Shoreditch needs more school places and an excellent leisure centre with modern facilities to meet the needs of local residents. This scheme will raise the money needed to fill the black hole left by a lack of Government funding, and provide much-needed social and affordable housing too.
Residents and leisure centre users are invited to meet the architects working with the Council on the Britannia Leisure Centre development at a series of drop-in events. They will provide an update about how feedback from the community has shaped the plans.
Sessions will be held on:
- Tuesday 27 February - Colville Community Hall – 6-8.30pm
- Wednesday 28 February – Shoreditch Park Primary School 6-8.00pm
- Thursday 1 March - Britannia Leisure Centre- 6-8.30pm
- Friday 2 March - Britannia Leisure Centre - 6-8.30pm
- Saturday 3 March – Britannia Leisure Centre – 10.30am-12.30pm
For more information about the Britannia site scheme, and to read the latest newsletter distributed to local residents, visit www.hackney.gov.uk/britannia-site
Images show:
View of the proposed secondary school on the corner of Hyde Road and Northport Street
View of the 16-storey affordable tower block on the corner of Bridport Palce, opposite the Anthology development
The leisure centre