A groundbreaking ceremony has marked the start of construction on the site of the Walthamstow Town Hall campus.

Developed by Countryside and Waltham Forest Council, the scheme will offer 433 high-quality homes prioritised for local people (of which 50% will be affordable on a habitable room basis), a brand-new civic building with café/restaurant space opening onto Fellowship Square, new landscaped gardens and play facilities on Chestnuts Field, and a new nursery alongside commercial space.

The first homes are expected to be ready to occupy in late 2023, with the development as a whole anticipated to be fully complete in 2025.

Hepworth Place is a car-free development, providing 815 secure cycle spaces. Over 200 new trees will be planted. Renewable energy is provided through PV panels and a Communal Heating system and by delivering landscaping that promotes biodiversity and mitigates flooding.

The regeneration brings hundreds of new jobs to the area, including over 600 during construction and over 800 supply chain jobs, as well as nearly 160 additional jobs from new commercial and community uses.

The first phase of works on the site completed in July 2021 saw the historic Grade II listed Town Hall refurbished and a new Fellowship Square with a state-of-the-art water feature created.

Cllr Grace Williams, Leader of Waltham Forest Council, commented: “This is an exciting moment in turning Fellowship Square into a community in the heart of our borough.

“It will not only create jobs and much needed new homes, but further enhance Fellowship Square as a 365-day cultural destination.”

“The investment in this iconic site, which holds so much civic pride, will ensure this cultural asset for future generations.

Kevin Delve, Managing Director, East London, Countryside, added: “The official start of construction is a landmark moment for our regeneration of the Waltham Forest Town Hall campus in partnership with the council, and we are delighted to see the project take this important step forward.

“Hepworth Place holds such a key role for the borough, delivering not only 433 sustainable new homes and a new civic building for the council, but also helping to tackle the Climate Emergency by being car-free and encouraging active travel, and we are looking forward to delivering this vision in the coming years.”