Press release

Innovative affordable housing developer Pocket Living has secured a unanimous resolution to grant planning permission from Hackney Council for a new residential development on Mandeville Street in Hackney, London. 

Representing Pocket’s third scheme within the Borough, the seven-storey development will utilise a vacant parcel of land formerly used as a health care centre, offering much-needed homes for local people. 

The application received unprecedented local support with over 50 letters submitted emphasising its benefits to the community. During the Committee, a teacher at Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney spoke passionately in support of the proposals, highlighting its potential for pricing local key workers into home ownership. 

The scheme includes 46 new homes for sale, including 43 one-bed Pocket discounted affordable homes and three two-bedroom, three-person market sale homes, making the scheme 91% affordable housing by habitable room.

The Mandeville Street development will include Pocket discounted homes sold at a 20% discount to surrounding market sale homes, specifically for first time buyers who live or work in Hackney and earn under the Mayor of London’s income threshold for affordable housing. 

In partnership with the GLA, Pocket Living’s aim is to help young middle-earning Londoners achieve their dream of owning a home by transforming brownfield sites into award-winning, affordable developments.

The traditional brick building will be made up of seven floors with a set-back eighth floor. The building material was specially chosen to be in keeping with the surrounding context of Wharfedale Court and Kirkstead Court.

The scheme will also provide a generous secure cycle store with space for 62 bikes, a 103 sq m commercial/community space at ground floor, and a large rooftop garden for all the residents to enjoy. The development utilises Air Source Heat Pumps, which will absorb heat from the outside air in order to heat the homes and provide hot water and will also be car-free.

Thomasin Renshaw, Pocket Living’s Development Director, comments: “This decision will enable many local people in Hackney access to high-quality housing at a discounted value. It marks our third successful application in London this year and will allow us to continue to provide housing for the next generation of homeowners. 

“We know, however, that there is still more that needs to be done to tackle the housing crisis for the next generation. There needs to be greater acceleration in the unlocking of small sites that will allow us and other SME developers to deliver more affordable homes for a variety of needs.” 

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:

Giles Barrie/Matthew Richards/Emily Smart/Andrew Johnson

pocketliving@fticonsulting.com

About Pocket Living:

Pocket Living is an innovative housing developer, delivering well-designed, homes for Londoners. Since being established in 2005, Pocket has delivered over 1,000 homes across a range of tenures.  Pocket currently has over 1,500 homes in its planning and construction pipeline. 

For more information on Pocket, please visit our website or YouTube channel.

Twitter: @Pocket_Living 

Instagram: @pocketliving