The regeneration of Woodberry Down in the London Borough of Hackney is one of Europe’s largest regeneration projects. Conceived in 2004 with construction beginning in 2009, this multi-decade scheme spans eight phases running until an envisaged completion in 2040. It is building thousands of much-needed new homes for social rent, shared ownership, and outright sale to address the borough’s critical housing shortage. Every secure Council tenant is guaranteed the offer of a new, high-quality Notting Hill Genesis social rent home, while Resident Council leaseholders are able to take up an offer of a new shared equity flat.

The program is on course to build nearly 6,500 new homes, delivering 1,327 high-quality social rent homes alongside 1,350 affordable shared ownership homes to help more Hackney residents achieve homeownership. In total, around 41 per cent of the new homes will be either social rent or shared ownership—a level of affordable delivery very few projects of this scale are currently able to achieve. Crucially, the new social rent homes are on average more than a quarter bigger than the outdated flats they replace; for example, pre-existing three-bed homes were 63 square meters, whereas a new three-bed is over 80 square meters. Furthermore, all tenures strictly feature a tenure-blind design and a "shared equity of view," meaning people cannot tell the difference between private and affordable units as both benefit directly from views of the unique natural setting. Equity of view and outlook between tenures is particularly important in the context of the location next to two reservoirs, and offering long views over London’s skyline.

Beyond housing, the regeneration provides extensive community facilities, including the Redmond Community Centre, the Woodberry Wetlands nature reserve, acres of new green space, and localized play facilities, alongside helping to refurbish the Grade II listed John Scott Health Centre. A long-standing priority on the estate is to celebrate the people who make it great, bringing together those who have lived here for decades with newer residents through a unique programme of events, celebrations, and cultural activities.

While delivery is governed by a Development Agreement between Hackney Council, Berkeley Homes, and Notting Hill Genesis (NHG), the success of the scheme also relies on the Woodberry Down Community Organisation (WDCO). Formally built into the core governance structure, WDCO is an independent, volunteer-led body representing residents across all tenures on the estate. Operating with all volunteer members, with no paid staff, WDCO is governed by a constitution providing twenty-four Board members who are renewed every three years through estate-wide elections.

WDCO has maintained resident representation throughout the lifetime of the regeneration programme, and has been consistently and closely engaged with the scheme, significantly influencing aspects of the design and delivery, from details such as flat layouts in new homes through to significant strategic influence, for example securing additional floor space for community uses. WDCO represents both the continuity of the community, and its evolution. The WDCO Board meets on the third Thursday of each month, in a meeting open to all residents, to review and discuss the regeneration scheme, raise concerns, and hold the delivery partners to account. Embedded into the governance and decision-making processes of the regeneration, WDCO is a significant part of the success of the regeneration and plays a central role in ensuring good outcomes for residents.