‘I’ve got my own garden space, which I’ve never had before’ - residents move into new homes

Perry Dean Fung, a lifelong Hackney resident, who previously lived on Charles Square, near Hoxton Square, has recently moved into his new council home in Wimbourne Street.

‘If I can be honest, it was too much of a party atmosphere where I was living before,’ Fung says. ‘Here, it’s a nice blend of friendly people. It’s amazing you can move such a short distance and have a completely different feeling and space.’

Perry has welcomed the changes in the area and the variety of people, shops, cafes and parks nearby. His children think his new ground-floor flat is more suitable for his condition. ‘I used to have stairs, so it was a struggle. I’ve got my own garden space as well now, which I’ve never had before.’ he adds.

‘It’s amazing what they’ve done with the estate. Before it was garages and there wasn’t much life going on. People were afraid to venture into this part because of how it looked. But now the new homes have made people more curious to come down and have a look.’

Fung’s home is one of the 59 much-needed new homes built at Wimbourne Street, including 27 for council rent, 12 for shared ownership and 20 for private sale. Six of the homes are wheelchair adaptable, with council tenants already moved in. 

Designed by Stirling Prize winning architects Mikhail Riches and built by Higgins Partnerships, the development sits alongside the area’s historic industrial buildings and the Wenlock Barn Estate. The project has also delivered a new play area for local children.

Wimbourne Street has helped to provide employment for local people, including nine apprenticeships, 10 paid work placements, three supported internships, and a number of site jobs for residents.

At nearby Buckland Street, a further 54 homes are due to be completed later this year. These include 22 council homes for social rent, 14 for shared ownership and 18 for private sale.

Across Hackney, the Council is building 972 new council homes, with plans in development to build and buy back even more. 

Cllr Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Inclusive Neighbourhoods, said: “In Hackney, we’re building homes fit for the future: spacious, genuinely affordable and managed directly by the Council. 

“I loved meeting Perry to see the difference his new council home is making to him and his family.

“But there are thousands more people in Hackney in urgent need of a place to call home. We’ve got ambitions to scale up the number of new council homes we build or buy back but we need more funding from the government to do this.”

Dominic Higgins, Chief Operating Officer for Higgins Group said, “We have a long track record of working in partnership with Hackney Council, delivering landmark developments at Kings Crescent and Colville estates.

"We’re proud to have continued this partnership at Wimbourne Street, providing high-quality new homes alongside local full time employment and skills opportunities, with nine apprenticeships and four supported internships.

"We’ve also made significant donations to local schools, community and environmental initiatives, helping to make a lasting contribution to the borough.”

David Mikhail, Director at Mikhail Riches, said: "We were thrilled to be chosen in competition to design both the Wimbourne and Buckland Street projects for the Hackney Small Sites Programme.

"At Wimbourne Street our layout optimises views east over Shoreditch Park whilst sitting back from New North Road, keeping the existing mature tree and preserving views of both the historic Wimbourne House on the corner, and the 11 storey Wimbourne Court, both of which have influenced the look and feel of the new buildings."