Woodberry Down and Manor House, once defined by post-war council estates and working-class communities, now sit at the centre of one of London’s most transformative regeneration projects. These neighbouring Hackney districts have been dubbed among the most rapidly gentrifying areas in London.
The redevelopment of Woodberry Down was first planned in the 1990s and has meant the demolition of 2,000 older homes on an estate in disrepair to be replaced by 5,500 new homes, over 2,500 of which have already been built, Hackney Council report. At least 41% of these homes being built over the 20-year period of construction are for social rent or shared ownership, as developers Berkeley Homes and property managers Notting Hill Genesis agreed with Hackney Council.
With this transition has come new infrastructure, higher incomes, rising house prices, and a more affluent demographic—but also a complex mix of opinions, anxieties, and lived experiences from those who have seen the change first hand.
‘I knew it when it wasn’t like this at all’
Jane Lynch has lived in Woodberry Down for 15 years and in Hackney for 30. She remembers a very different place before the cranes, the luxury apartments, and the rising rents. “The riverwalk down here was really desolate,” she says. “It was full of junkies and all sorts of horrendous stuff. So, on the whole, it has done the area a lot of good.” But she is also clear-eyed about the cost: “A lot of social housing was forced out. I don’t know where they ended up.”
Jane highlighted how regeneration came with promises that often fell short. As luxury amenities were added, she believed a two-tier system emerged: “They were going on about gyms and saunas… but there were two entrances—one for the social housing that had no access to that, and one for the posher folks.”
Hackney Council have challenged this view of social segregation, however, saying that while social housing and private housing do have separate entrances in the buildings, they are designed to be ‘tenure blind’, which means people cannot tell the difference between private and affordable homes as they walk through the estate. Both social and private housing have a ‘shared equity of view’, meaning both private and affordable homes benefit directly from views over the wetlands, which can increase the value of homes significantly. The newer social rent homes are also about 28% bigger than the older homes they are replacing, Hackney Council said.
While high-end amenities like gyms and saunas are not freely available to those in social housing, the private residents do not benefit from a gym, sauna or pool for free, as these are paid for through the the higher levels of service charge they have to pay. Having access to these amenities would mean that social housing costs would have to rise.
However, Jane also mentioned that many of those who lived in the now demolished older social housing had to move out of the area in many cases. The newer buildings came with higher rents and more expensive property prices, and while leaseholders of the demolished buildings were offered spaces in the new buildings, this was under shared ownership, which some rejected.
While the reservoirs and wetlands have brought beauty and new life to the area, Jane remained critical of the quality of construction—“pretend bricks and plastics”—and the rising cost of living. “Prices of everything have gone up because these people have more money.”
She also noted the change in safety: “Seems like the crime rate has gone up—or it has become more visible. There are more rich people to mug.” She recalled the killing of an 87-year-old man who was attacked and savagely beaten in a robbery murder in the new estate in early May. “You’ve got to appreciate the good with it, but you can’t ignore the disruption of communities that have been there for 30-40 years.”
‘You name it, it was bad around here’
For Mehmet Turkmen, who has lived in the area since the 1980s, the transformation is undeniable. “It used to be really bad round here,” he said bluntly. The change? “New buildings, new people, more rich people. Rent price has doubled. House price has more than doubled.”
Mehmet sees safety as one of the biggest improvements: “Gangs and all of that, and people selling drugs, have moved out. It’s safer.” But as a local business owner, he’s felt the pressure of change in other ways. His experience reflects a broader pattern seen in many gentrifying neighbourhoods—long-standing small businesses squeezed by rising competition and changing footfall.
‘Everything has changed’
Hager Kamel moved from Egypt in her 20s and has spent her adult life in Woodberry Down. Now, living in one of the regenerated buildings, she views the change as overwhelmingly positive. “Everything has changed,” she said. “It was very crowded, and the quality of people who were living here was not very good.”
For Hager, the move into a new home after the demolition of her old one has brought tangible improvements. Unlike others who were displaced, she stayed—benefiting from the regeneration, not left behind by it. Her perspective reflects one side of the regeneration story: improved housing conditions and a safer, more appealing environment.
‘They’re knocking down the old buildings’
For Gareth and Nat, a young couple who live in the area and work in retail, the most visible transformation is just across the road: “They’re building more flats and knocking down the 1930s, 40s, and 60s council buildings. They’ve just got metal grates up on them now.”
What did the developers and the Council say?
The regeneration of Woodberry Down is led by a partnership of Hackney Council, Berkeley Homes, Notting Hill Genesis, Woodberry Down Community Organisation and the Manor House Development Trust. A spokesperson for Berkeley said: “Ensuring the existing estate community directly benefits from the regeneration of Woodberry Down has been a key principle from the start and all secure social housing tenants are guaranteed the chance to move from their outdated properties to new high quality social rent homes that meet their needs.”
The project, which Berkeley said residents have been involved in from the start, has delivered “new high-quality parks and public spaces, an award winning community centre, gyms, shops, cafes as well as opening up the incredible Woodberry Wetlands nature reserve,” Berkeley said, adding “The project is on course to deliver 1,327 high quality social rent homes, as well as 1,350 affordable shared ownership homes to help more Hackney residents achieve homeownership. In total around 42% of the new homes built at Woodberry Down will be either social rent or shared ownership, which is a level of affordable delivery very few projects of this scale are currently able to achieve.”
Hackney Council took issue with the naming of Woodberry Down as the second most rapidly gentrifying area in London, pointing out their interpretation of ONS data “compares two different boundaries and only looks at those who are in work.”
A spokesperson for Notting Hill Genesis said: “We take pride in strengthening and sustaining existing neighbourhoods where residents can be proud to live, work and play.
“Working in partnership with the council, the developer and local community groups, we’re providing new homes at Woodberry Down at below-market rates and ensuring local people benefit from the social and economic opportunities offered by the regeneration programme.
“As a not-for-profit organisation, our work at Woodberry Down is a crucial part of our commitment to delivering homes that people can afford, no matter what their personal circumstances, and to giving Londoners a base and community from which to achieve their potential. All existing council tenants at Woodberry Down have the right to move into a brand new social rent home managed by Notting Hill Genesis.”
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