Dalston Junction - The next piece in the fashionable London jigsaw

Barratt has started work on one of London’s key strategic regeneration schemes, the £160m transformation of Dalston, Hackney. The project will provide over 550 new homes, shops, a library and archive, plus a brand new station for the East London line extension at Dalston Junction.

At the heart of the scheme will be Dalston Square, a major new town centre space around which the new homes, shops and restaurants will be built in a range of striking modern buildings.

Barratt was selected for the project by Hackney Council, the Mayor of London’s office, Transport for London (TfL) and the London Development Agency (LDA), and preliminary engineering and infrastructure work is already well under way.

Over 30 of the new homes were reserved ahead of the sales launch, and interest continues to be strong.

Barratt East London managing director Alastair Baird said: “In my view, Dalston Square is the next big piece of the London jigsaw – the regeneration project that will finally lift Hackney into another league. Judging by the amount of advance interest, the market seems to think so, too.

“Dalston Square will revitalise the heart of Dalston and encourage more investment into the area, while the improved rail links will boost access in and out. Dalston is in close proximity to fashionable and flourishing areas like Hoxton, Shoreditch, London Fields, Islington, Clerkenwell and the City, and the transformation of Dalston will fill in the gap.”

“Dalston Square will revitalise the heart of Dalston and encourage more investment into the area, while the improved rail links will boost access in and out. Dalston is in close proximity to fashionable and flourishing areas like Hoxton, Shoreditch, London Fields, Islington, Clerkenwell and the City, and the transformation of Dalston will fill in the gap.”

He added: “It’s a tremendously exciting scheme that’s great news for Hackney and inner-London as a whole, and we are delighted to be part of it.”

Key to the Dalston regeneration are the new homes, which are to be built in a number of stylish apartment buildings of brick, timber and glass.

The majority of homes for sale in the first phase of Dalston Square will be one-bedroom apartments aimed at first-time buyers at prices from under £300,000. Two, three and four-bedroom apartments will also be available, as will affordable homes for local people.

The project is going ahead in two phases – Dalston Lane South and Dalston Junction Interchange, with the new Dalston Square linking and integrating them. Both sites include new homes, some going on top of the new station which is due to open in 2010.

Designed by Arup Associates and McAslan & Partners, the entire project is committed to the use of environmentally-friendly measures such as green roofs and energy-saving combined heat and power (CHP) generation.

For further information visit Barratthomes.co.uk.