Woodberry Down Regeneration Approved as Tenants Face Two Moves in Hackney 2026

Key Points

• Hackney Council’s new Green administration has approved Phases 4 and 5 of the Woodberry Down regeneration, a 30-year project expected to deliver around 5,500–6,500 new homes in total.
• The decision came at the first cabinet meeting chaired by Hackney’s new Green Mayor, Zoë Garbett, following the local elections on 29 June 2026.
• Critics accuse the Greens of a policy U-turn, given past Green Party criticism of the scheme as damaging to social housing and communities.
• Council officers’ reports state that some secure council tenants in Phase 5 may have to move twice (“double decant”) because Phase 4 homes intended for them will not be ready until summer 2030, while Phase 5 must be vacated by December 2028.
• Delaying demolition to avoid two moves was explored but rejected on viability grounds, with officers estimating at least a £13.5 million cost increase for Phase 5 that could jeopardise later phases.
• As of May 2026, 188 of 225 Phase 5 properties are occupied, including 32 secure tenant households, 10 resident leaseholders and 132 people in temporary accommodation.
• The council and Berkeley Homes maintain the overall affordable housing target remains around 43 per cent, with 44 per cent of that as social rent and 56 per cent as shared ownership.
• Objections have also been raised about biodiversity loss, tree removal, density, and the reduction in the absolute number of social homes compared with 2008 levels.

Hackney (East London Times) July 8, 2026 – A major estate redevelopment in north Hackney has cleared its latest political hurdle, with the borough’s new Green Party administration backing the next stages of the long-running Woodberry Down regeneration, even as housing campaigners warn that some social tenants will be forced to move twice before settling into their new homes.

What has Hackney Council approved at Woodberry Down?

The council’s cabinet, led by Mayor Zoë Garbett, has given the green light to Phases 4 and 5 of the Woodberry Down regeneration, a multi-decade partnership between Hackney Council and developer Berkeley Homes that began in earnest in 2009.

As reported by Dave Hill of OnLondon, the scheme is replacing nearly 1,800 council flats built in the 1940s and 1950s with around 6,500 new homes of mixed tenure, including social rent, shared ownership and market sale.

According to a council officers’ report cited by Hill, Phase 4 planning consent was granted in July 2024 and will deliver 511 new homes, of which 90 are for social rent and 132 for shared ownership.

Phase 5, which covers a different part of the estate, is now being brought “in phase”, meaning the process of rehousing current residents so that new homes can eventually be built in place of the old blocks will formally begin.

Why are some tenants expected to move twice?

The most contentious element of the decision is the prospect of a “double decant” for some secure council tenants currently living in Phase 5 blocks.

As reported by Dave Hill of OnLondon, council officers’ documents state that vacant possession of existing Phase 5 homes is required by December 2028, but the new social-rented homes in Phase 4 intended for many of these tenants will not be completed and available for occupation until summer 2030.

That creates a gap of at least 18 months during which affected households may have to live in temporary alternative accommodation, potentially off the estate, before moving into their new permanent homes once construction is finished.

Officers explored delaying the demolition of Phase 5 properties to avoid this, but concluded it would postpone the delivery of new affordable homes in Phase 5 and increase scheme development costs by a minimum of £13.5 million for that phase, as calculated in November 2025.

The report states that such an increase could make Phase 5 unviable and negatively impact the viability of future Phases 6 and 7, which is why the current timetable was recommended and approved.

Who will be affected and how many households are involved?

Council documents quoted by OnLondon indicate that, as of May 2026, 188 of the 225 Phase 5 properties are occupied.

These include 32 secure tenant households, many understood to be families with children, along with 10 resident leaseholders and 132 people living in temporary accommodation.

As reported by Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, Hackney’s cabinet member for regeneration, planning and inclusive neighbourhoods, around 21 secure tenants in Phase 5 may need to move to a temporary alternative home on the estate before moving into their new social-rented home, due to a timetable change linked to redesign work on Phase 4 to meet current building regulatory requirements.

Leaseholders will be offered shared-equity alternatives, while those in temporary accommodation are not guaranteed a new home on Woodberry Down, according to the reporting by Hill.

What do critics and campaigners say about the scheme?

The decision has prompted accusations that the Greens have performed a policy U-turn, given their previous criticism of large-scale estate regenerations and of Woodberry Down in particular.

As reported by Dave Hill of OnLondon, Green Party activists have previously described the council’s approach as

“kick[ing] people out of their homes and break[ing] up communities”,

arguing that existing blocks should have been renovated instead of demolished.

Hill also notes that Zack Polanski, now the Green Party’s national leader, claimed in 2019 that the regeneration was taking place “at huge expense” to social housing residents and that such housing “must be protected”.

In May 2026, the Greens defeated Labour in Hackney after pledging to

“review and monitor ‘partnerships’ between the council and property developers, including all estate regeneration projects, ensuring the needs of the community are always the priority”,

according to Hill’s reporting.

Critics argue that approving Phases 4 and 5 without avoiding the double decant contradicts that pledge, especially given the disruption to families and the risk that some households could be rehoused off the estate during the interim period.

What are the concerns about social housing and affordable homes?

Beyond the double decant issue, objectors have repeatedly raised concerns about the overall number and type of affordable homes in the scheme.

As reported in coverage of a September 2025 planning sub-committee meeting by the Hackney Citizen, objector Frances MacFarland asserted that there were 1,520 council homes on the estate in 2008, but the current scheme reduces that to 1,325, a loss of 13 per cent.

Barbara McFarlane, an architect and member of Sustainable Hackney, told the same meeting:

“If you vote this scheme you’re voting for fewer social homes than when the regeneration started,”

adding that temporary housing numbers had doubled in the intervening period.

In response, a Berkeley Homes spokesman, Tom Anthony, stated that the developer has contractual obligations under its original development agreement and cannot legally reduce the commitment, noting that the original 41.7 per cent affordable housing target has been maintained at 43 per cent in the latest application.

A Hackney Council spokesperson said:

“The Woodberry Down regeneration is building thousands of much needed new homes, including a brand new high quality social rented home for all secure council tenants living on the estate as well as new shared ownership homes.”

What environmental and biodiversity objections have been raised?

Environmental concerns have also featured prominently in objections to later phases of the regeneration.

As reported by the Hackney Citizen, campaigners claim the scheme will lead to a net biodiversity loss of 9.25 per cent, whereas planning guidance requires a minimum 10 per cent biodiversity gain.

McFarlane told the planning sub-committee:

“We’re worried about the harm to existing biodiversity,”

arguing that open landscape would be replaced by

“privatised green space podiums, six metres above the ground where nature can’t thrive”.

She added:

“The current scheme is business as usual and makes very little attempt to tackle the climate and ecological crisis – are these homes what we need?”

In response, a council spokesperson highlighted the creation of the Woodberry Wetlands nature reserve, acres of new green space, a new community centre, shops, offices, a children’s centre and play facilities at Spring Park as part of the regeneration.

How has the council and cabinet member for regeneration responded?

Despite the criticism, the new Green cabinet has publicly endorsed the continuation of the scheme.

As reported by Dave Hill of OnLondon, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, the cabinet member for regeneration, planning and inclusive neighbourhoods, described the project as delivering

“high quality, sustainable homes for our residents, and an exemplary new neighbourhood in the north west of the borough”.

He stated:

“We will now start building Phase 4 of the scheme and commence the re-housing process for Phase 5 by bringing Phase 5 officially ‘in phase’.”

Binnie-Lubbock further said:

“The continued regeneration of Woodberry Down supports the Council’s long-standing commitment that every secure council tenant on the estate has the right to a brand-new, high-quality home at social rent in Woodberry Down.”

When asked about the Greens’ manifesto pledge to review developer partnerships, Binnie-Lubbock responded:

“We remain committed to reviewing and monitoring partnerships between the Council and property developers so they work in the best interests of Hackney residents.”

He added:

“By continuing with the delivery of Woodberry Down, the scheme will deliver a new high quality social rented home for all remaining secure Council tenants living in the older properties on the estate, as well as additional affordable housing.”

On the double decant issue, he said:

“Around 21 secure tenants living in Phase 5 may need to move to a temporary alternative home on the estate before moving into their brand new social rented home,”

adding that the council is speaking with these residents one-to-one to make the process

“as easy and smooth as it can be in all cases”.

What earlier planning decisions and resident objections have shaped the project?

Earlier planning sub-committee meetings have already set the framework for the final phases.

As reported by the Hackney Citizen, in September 2025 the council granted Berkeley Homes conditional outline planning permission for the final phases, subject to conditions, despite objections from residents and the Woodberry Down Community Organisation (WDCO).

Objectors, including Frances MacFarland speaking on behalf of residents Geoff Bell and Elaine Gosnell, argued that some properties on Woodberry Grove North had already been “home grown” regenerated with extensions and refurbishments, making demolition “financially and environmentally irresponsible”.

A Berkeley spokesperson countered that these properties have been “clearly shown” within the Woodberry Down site boundary in every version of the masterplan since 2008, and that letters were issued by Hackney Council in February 2025 confirming their inclusion in Phase 6.

The WDCO has generally supported the regeneration in principle but has expressed significant concerns over reduced numbers of genuinely affordable social homes, density, and infrastructure impacts, according to earlier reporting by the Hackney Citizen.

Background to the Woodberry Down regeneration

Woodberry Down is one of London’s largest and longest-running estate regeneration projects, first approved in 2005 with the aim of delivering thousands of new homes alongside improved community facilities and public spaces.

The scheme is a partnership between Hackney Council and Berkeley Homes, replacing mid-20th-century council blocks with a mixed-tenure development of around 5,500–6,500 homes, depending on the source, plus retail, office space, community centres and extensive landscaping.

Key elements include the creation of the Woodberry Wetlands nature reserve, new schools and children’s centres, play areas, and upgrades to infrastructure such as roads and drainage, with the council estimating £12 million in infrastructure contributions once all phases are complete.

The project has been politically contentious, with repeated debates over the balance of market and affordable homes, the treatment of existing social tenants, and the environmental impact of demolishing older blocks and altering green space.

Prediction: How could this development affect social tenants and local residents?

If the current timetable holds, the most direct impact will be on the 32 secure tenant households in Phase 5 and the subset of around 21 who may face temporary relocation before their new homes are ready.

For these families, the double decant could mean significant disruption to schooling, work commutes, support networks and mental well-being, particularly if temporary accommodation is off the estate or in a different part of the borough.

For the wider community, the continuation of the regeneration will likely accelerate the delivery of new homes and infrastructure, but may also deepen concerns about the long-term trajectory of social housing stock in Hackney if the absolute number of social-rented units remains below 2008 levels, as objectors claim.

If environmental targets on biodiversity are not fully met in practice, local nature groups and residents may intensify pressure on future phases to deliver genuine ecological gains rather than landscaped but inaccessible green podiums, potentially influencing planning conditions for Phases 6 and 7.

Politically, the decision tests the credibility of the Greens’ pledge to prioritise community needs over developer interests; if the double decant causes visible hardship or if affordable housing targets are perceived as unmet in practice, it could shape local debate ahead of future elections and influence how other London boroughs approach similar regeneration schemes.