July 2022

Unanimous Approval on Alexandra Court

Hunters has won planning for fifteen new London affordable rent homes and with commercial space in the heart of the London Borough of Hackney for Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association ‘ISHA’. Alexandra Court, which is part new build and part external street level upgrade of existing homes, received unanimous approval at the planning committee.

The site is adjacent to Dalston Conservation area and on a busy retail-centric High Street with a mix of Victorian, 20^th century and locally listed buildings. One of the site challenges was working around the mature plane tree which bisects the site.

The fifteen new homes replace the existing single-storey office space and range in size from 1-3 bedrooms, each with private outside spaces and access to a new communal garden for existing and new residents. With Hackney being one of the most cycling friendly areas in the country 46 bike spaces are being installed. New planting including trees and an improved public realm will help soften the scheme.

Originally the site housed the Alexandra theatre which was demolished in 1960 to accommodate an 11-storey residential tower block and office space. The Princess May Road façade initially follows the adjacent Victorian terrace vernacular before it steps up to become taller at the prominent corner of Stoke Newington Road. The scheme has been designed to be seamlessly integrated into the tower block. The five-storey building fronting Stoke Newington Road is designed with new single storey commercial space on the ground floor with the remaining four storeys above providing new homes with the aim of tying the proposal in with its immediate context. New signage, ground level facade work, improved security and a more welcoming entrance are part of the update for the existing (retained) tower.