Hackney Council is set to award contracts for the construction of 305 new homes across nine sites, marking the first phase of its ambitious New Homes Programme (NHP). The Cabinet Procurement and Insourcing Committee (CPIC) is scheduled to approve the procurement strategy at a meeting on 7 July 2025.
The New Homes Programme aims to build new council homes on underused Housing Revenue Account (HRA) land, such as car parks and garages, with 75% of the new homes being for social rent at Council rent levels. The programme seeks to address the housing crisis in Hackney and provide high-quality, sustainable homes for residents.
Construction procurements are expected to commence from summer 2025, with project teams working to ensure projects are on site by March 2026.
The nine projects, known as NHP Tranche 1, are located across several wards in Hackney, including Haggerston, Hoxton West, London Fields, Kings Park, and Stoke Newington. A map of the project locations can be found in Appendix 1 - NHP Project Locations Map. The projects include:
- Broadway (Orwell and Welshpool) and Regents Court in Haggerston and London Fields wards
- Cropley Court and Buckland Court in Hoxton West ward
- Fellows Court and Weymouth Court in Haggerston ward
- Blackwell Close and Nye Bevan Estate in Kings Park ward
- Morris Blitz former neighbourhood office in Stoke Newington ward
The procurement strategy involves a mix of approaches, including competitive call-offs from compliant frameworks and open market procedures. For some projects, the procurement will be structured to allow for the selection of one or two contractors, depending on the best offer for each site.
The CPIC is also being asked to delegate authority to the Group Director of Climate, Homes and Economy to enter into main building contracts, following consultation with other key officers. This delegation is intended to enable the projects to progress efficiently, while ensuring appropriate oversight and governance.
The New Homes Programme is guided by seven overarching objectives, including meeting housing need, contributing to Hackney's sustainability objectives, creating better homes and neighbourhoods, involving residents meaningfully, making best use of Council resources, securing value for money, and supporting an inclusive economy.
The Cabinet Procurement & Insourcing Committee will ensure the Council's procurement processes deliver Value for Money (VFM) outcomes where VFM is defined as the optimum combination of both whole life costs and quality (or fitness for purpose).
The report notes that the NHP projects are being designed and will be constructed in line with the Council's commitment to address the Climate Emergency, and responsive to Hackney's Climate Action Plan 2023-2030. The aim is to achieve Passivhaus Certification where feasible and financially viable.
Consultation with residents and stakeholders has been a key part of the development of the NHP. Resident Steering Groups have been established for several sites, and wider community engagement has been carried out at each RIBA work stage.
The allocation of new social tenancies in these developments is expected to continue to follow the Local Lettings Policy 'Keeping Communities Together'. This policy prioritises existing tenants in the urgent housing need band, whose current property does not meet their needs.
The report acknowledges that the high cost of construction and potential site abnormal costs are key risks to the programme. Mitigation measures include robust cost monitoring, surveys and ground investigations, and a focus on value for money in the procurement process.
