Our huge regeneration of Woodberry Down has been named UK’s Project of the Year at a prestigious award ceremony.
It was part of a double success at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ Grand Final on Friday, with the 30-year development in Manor House also picking up the prize for best UK Regeneration.
So far, 1,497 homes have been delivered, with a further 563 currently under construction. By the time it is completed, Woodberry Down will provide more than 5,500 new build apartments, 41 per cent of which will be affordable housing.
But it was the social value of the project and its benefit to the community that brought special praise from judges, who said:
“The Woodberry Down project team have taken on the regeneration of this area with integrity and a genuine desire to improve not just the physical environment, but also residents’ economic aspirations and social wellbeing. There is nothing to fault with this scheme and, as such, it is an outright and worthy winner of Project of the Year.”
David Brooks Wilson, chair of judges, added: “Woodberry Down has provided place-shaping, social and economic change on an inspiring scale, making it a very worthy winner. Reported crime is down and the social return on investment has been calculated at £2.51 for every £1 spent, which is fantastic.
“Its long-term success can be attributed to the effective collaboration and flexibility between the four main partners – Hackney Council, Notting Hill Genesis, Berkeley Homes and the resident-led Woodberry Down Community Organisation.”
Woodberry Down has been designed to be impossible to tell the difference between the private and social housing as you walk around the neighbourhood. There was also praise for its high quality facilities, such as a new secondary school and community centre and shops for a range of budgets.
Anthony Were, area manager for the Woodberry Down project, said: “We are incredibly proud to be named project of the year, in a highly competitive shortlist of over 90 projects nationwide. This is a fantastic reward for all of the hard work across a number of teams that has gone into shaping a new neighbourhood that really delivers for its residents and the wider community.”