The Hill Group is expected to start work on site at New Era in 2026, with grant funding having already been secured through the mayor of London’s 2016-2023 Affordable Housing Programme.
The plans will see Dolphin Living replace the existing 1930s private rented accommodation with 208 new homes and 384 sqm gross internal area (GIA) of flexible retail floorspace provided across buildings ranging from three to 13 storeys, together with associated landscaped communal amenity space.
Architect for the project is Allies & Morrison.
Of the homes, 109 will be for sale and 99 will be available for intermediate rent at London Living Rent (LLR) ward benchmarks and discounted-LLR, resulting in 50% affordable provision by habitable rooms.
Dolphin Living acquired the 1930s Hoxton estate in December 2014 with the aim of securing the future housing needs of its residents. Dolphin Living has since acquired nearby 333 Kingsland , into which New Era residents will move into while construction is under way. Once complete, the residents will return to New Era.
Dolphin Living chief executive Olivia Harris said: “New Era is a landmark estate in Hackney that needs significant redevelopment to provide high quality housing for its current and future residents. We are pleased to appoint The Hill Group to deliver our vision for the scheme, as well as to receive the grant from the Greater London Authority which not only endorses the development but also guarantees the future of the community that lives there.
“At Dolphin Living we build and manage homes which enable London’s workers to live in central location that they would not otherwise be able to afford. The current housing crisis has left many of the city’s critical workers struggling to afford to live within a reasonable commute of their workplace and not enough homes are being delivered to ease the pressure. Intermediate housing provides a practical solution which can be delivered quickly and with less government funding than social housing. An example of this in action, New Era will bring 99 much needed intermediate rental homes to Hackney.”
Dolphin Living’s objective as a charity is to provide homes in central London at below market rents to allow working Londoners on modest incomes to live in central boroughs close to their places of work. Residents typically include traditional key workers with jobs in health care, the emergency services and education, as well as those working in essential sectors of London’s economy, including restaurants, hotels and theatres.
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