Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney opened the new Canal Walk Apartments affordable housing scheme in Hackney on 14 January 2015.
“Canal Walk Apartments” was built for Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association (ISHA) and has 58 apartments in a new building overlooking the Regents Canal in Hackney. Councillor Philip Glanville, Cabinet member for Housing at the London Borough of Hackney also attended the celebration.
This was a joint celebration for both the completion of this scheme and the other 2800 plus affordable homes that have been built by ISHA and its partners in the North River Alliance since 2004.
Mayor Jules Pipe said: “We welcome this development providing much needed homes for Hackney. ISHA is a valuable partner and we look forward to continuing to work with them.”
Councillor Philip Glanville said: “It is good to see in Hackney a development which is all affordable and has both rented and shared ownership homes, including larger family sized homes. However it is not just about the numbers of homes but also quality and who ends up living in them – on both these objectives ISHA has really delivered in this scheme.
Stephen Stringer, Chair of ISHA said: “ISHA celebrated its 80th birthday last year, and I am proud that Canal Walk is our latest example of how we continue to deliver new homes and Speak up for Housing. We are also delighted the commercial space on the ground floor will be occupied by Peter Bedford Housing Association.”
Clare Thomson ISHA CEO said: “The high demand for our new shared ownership homes has meant we have prioritised people with strong connections to Hackney, and we have achieved a large number of sales to former council or housing association residents. Both these factors demonstrate how we continue to meet our commitment to make sure people on moderate incomes can continue to live in the inner city and benefit from the regeneration of these areas.”
Islington and Shoreditch Housing (ISHA) invested 15.75 million in Canal Walk Apartments and funding was provided by the Greater London Authority and Hackney Council through an offsite planning agreement elsewhere in the borough.
Located just north of the Regents Canal on Kingsland Road, 31 of the new apartments were for shared ownership (which is an affordable option for those wishing to buy their homes). There were over 800 applications for this popular option. The remaining 27 flats have affordable rents and 10 are large family homes with three or more bedrooms. Apart from existing social housing residents all those moving into the new homes already lived or worked in Hackney. The block also has business space and Peter Bedford Housing Association will move its offices into the block.
Source: ISHA