Hackney Greens vote down Labour bid to stop double moves for Woodberry Down tenants

Tenants on Hackney's Woodberry Down estate may face moving home twice after the Green-run council rejected a Labour bid to halt "double decanting". The motion, put forward by Woodberry Down ward councillor Sarah Young, was defeated at a full council meeting. It had called for the council to present a costed plan within three months to spare secure tenants a move into interim accommodation before a final relocation into new homes.

Councillor Young stated that the Green administration had supported phases 4 and 5 of the regeneration scheme, despite previously criticising it over developer promises and the potential impact of double moves on the community. She told the council that residents who are elderly, frail, or ill might struggle with being moved twice. Families recently placed in temporary accommodation on the estate, expecting to remain until permanent homes were ready, would now face another upheaval. Those with complex illnesses and disabilities were also a concern.

Developer's Warning and Charter Promises

Councillor Young informed the council that over 650 social rent homes had been built on the estate, and the scheme had largely upheld its promise of secure tenants moving directly from old homes to new permanent ones. However, she noted that the developer, Berkeley Homes, had warned that delaying the demolition of phase 5 until new homes were ready would incur a cost of £13.2 million. Councillor Young suggested that Berkeley Homes stood to make significantly more profit than this amount from the project. She added that approximately 130 families in temporary accommodation resided in phase 5 alone.

The Woodberry Down Residents' Charter, agreed in 2007, stated that all existing residents should be offered new homes on the estate. However, a June 2026 cabinet report indicated that secure council tenants have "the right to a brand-new, high-quality home at social rent in Woodberry Down", without specifying a single move. Council officers acknowledged that intermediate moves are permitted under the development agreement but should be minimised. The June report warned that such moves might be necessary.

Council's Financial Concerns

Green cabinet member for regeneration, planning and inclusive neighbourhoods, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, described the Labour motion as unfeasible and stated it could significantly risk the council's finances and the wider project delivery. He blamed delays on building safety changes post-Grenfell, with rising costs and falling sale values. He accused the previous Labour administration of failing to raise the issue earlier and suggested that contractual or legal support for mitigating double decants was lacking from their time in office.

Councillor Binnie-Lubbock claimed that emails suggesting double decanting were on the cards as early as February, and his predecessor had placed it on the cabinet forward plan in March. He questioned what plans or mitigations the previous administration had suggested, stating no record could be found. He characterised the motion as fanciful, based on an illusion of a promise that never existed, and an attempt by the opposition to distance themselves from past issues.

Precedent and Resident Concerns

In response, Councillor Young stated she had raised the issue at monthly meetings with council officers since learning of the developer's proposal at the start of the year. She expressed a strong personal conviction against double moves, stating, "I do not want these people moved twice. I don’t want them moved twice because I think people will die. I think people will suffer. I think families will be broken up." She warned that making it easy for Berkeley Homes to proceed with double decanting now would set a precedent for future developments.

Conservative councillor Simche Steinberger commented that the scheme lacked flats larger than three bedrooms, preventing it from housing large Jewish families from the neighbouring community. He described the motion as "a joke to be honest."

What Happens Next

Hackney Council has approved the next two phases of the Woodberry Down regeneration and has begun the process of relocating residents from phase 5. The council's decision means that residents in phase 5 may be required to move into temporary accommodation before moving into their new permanent homes on the estate.