‘Disappointed’: Residents and community groups condemn latest Woodberry Down masterplan

Part of the Woodberry Down regeneration scheme. Photograph: Hackney Council

Local residents and community groups are “deeply disappointed” in the council’s latest masterplan for the ongoing regeneration of Woodberry Down.

A planning application covering the final phases of the project, which began 20 years ago, is set to go before councillors in early September.

A summary of objections seen by the Citizen reveals grave unhappiness from residents and organisations over the loss of social housing and biodiversity.

They also fear climate targets will be missed, and that people will lose their homes amid concerns over the right-to-return policy.

The regeneration is set to deliver 200 fewer social homes than the original development.

Woodberry Down Community Organisation (WDCO) said an initial masterplan promised that 34 per cent of new homes built would be social, and that this figure had now fallen to between 14 and 18 per cent.

The group said it was “deeply disappointed that this third iteration of the masterplan, despite tripling the number of homes on the estate, still fails to deliver a like-for-like replacement of social homes for rent”.

Geoff Bell, long-term resident and former chair of WDCO, raised doubts over the ability of existing tenants to return if their homes were demolished.

He said the policy was in “deep jeopardy”, with tenants facing huge rent and service charge increases should they want to return.

Bell last year said the regeneration was “no longer community-led”.

The council has committed to providing a new social rented home for all 1,115 occupied secure council tenanted properties on the estate.

A Town Hall spokesperson added: “Over 1,300 social rented properties are built or planned as part of the regeneration. In addition to this, more than 1,300 shared ownership or shared equity homes are built or planned.

“Leaseholders on the estate also have the right to return to a brand new shared equity home.”

A document seen by the Citizen lists comments on the latest masterplan from members of the public, whose names have been redacted.

One said: “The thought of being displaced due to this redevelopment fills me with anxiety. Not only am I worried about losing my home, but I also fear losing the community bonds that I have built.”

Another added: “Social housing provides an essential lifeline for many residents, including families, the elderly, and vulnerable individuals.

“Removing or reducing these housing options will only exacerbate the housing crisis and leave many without the support they require to thrive in the community.”

The final phases of the project outlined in red. Image: LDS

The council spokesperson added: “The new social homes being built at Woodberry Down are around 28 per cent larger than the outdated homes they are replacing.

“For example, the pre-existing three-bed homes were 63 square metres, and a new three-bed house is 80.85 square metres.

The loss of wildlife and trees is another area of concern for objectors.

Campaigners claim the scheme will lead to a net biodiversity loss of 9.25 per cent when the minimum requirement under planning guidance is for a 10 per cent gain.

Discussing climate targets, Barbara McFarlane, architect and member of Sustainable Hackney, said: “Both the political and environmental landscape has evolved since the Woodberry Down regeneration process started in 2007.

“As we approach 2050 and experience the severe consequences of climate and biodiversity breakdown, this scheme is no longer appropriate to meet the [targets] and needs a complete rethink.”

She added that overheating as a result of increasingly hot summers has meant that Phase 4 of the regeneration, approved by planners only last year, was currently undergoing a façade redesign to reduce glazing and incorporate external shading.  

Sport England also raised concerns over the lack of leisure facilities in the masterplan.

The government-funded body said the plan “does not mention any formal sports provision bar a passing reference to imaginative play/sports facilities”.

Referring to an illustration of the plan, it added that “there is no space clearly available to accommodate formal outdoor sport”.

It concludes that “in order to create a sustainable community, there should be either formal sports facilities created on site or provision needs to be made off site”.

“Without adequate sports provision, it is difficult to see how healthy sustainable community can be created.”

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.

“It has also provided new community facilities for everyone in the area, including the biodiversity-boosting Woodberry Wetlands nature reserve, acres of new green space, a new community centre, shops, offices, children’s centre and play facilities at Spring Park.”

The Woodberry Down regeneration was first approved in 2005 with the aim of delivering thousands of new homes, along with improved community facilities and public spaces.

Once all the new homes are completed, Hackney Council claims there will be £12 million contributed to local infrastructure, including roads and drains. 

The new masterplan is expected to go before the Town Hall’s planning committee on 4 September, where it will be assessed by councillors alongside recommendations made by the Town Hall’s planning officers.

Update: this article was amended at 12.40pm on 28 August 2025 to include further comment from the council, and more information about the commitment it has made to existing tenants.