Vibe / Holy Trinity School, Dalston

In 2012 Telford Homes was appointed through a competitive tender to become the development partner of the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS) for the redevelopment of Holy Trinity School.  The site was owned by LDBS and LB Hackney and comprised a single storey 1960s school with several decaying portacabins. 

Prior to 2012, the proposed new school was part of the ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme, however, when the programme was cancelled, LDBS sought an innovative model to deliver a new self-funded two form entry primary school.    We worked with LDBS and their architect, Rock Townsend, to realise a mixed-use model that would fund the delivery of the new primary school through the sale of open market homes. 

Planning consent was granted by the Greater London Authority (GLA) in December 2013, after a call-in by the Mayor of London.  Consent was granted for a 34,585 sq.ft school (including nursery) and 101 open market homes. 

The scheme delivers very high quality open space with almost 100% site coverage for amenity uses including school playgrounds, a play deck and MUGA, in addition to green roofs and residents' garden. 

Telford Homes and LDBS agreed an overage framework with LB Hackney to capture any uplift in value once completed, a percentage of which would be shared with the local authority for the delivery of affordable housing and education elsewhere in the Borough.  A payment of over £8 million was made to LB Hackney as a result of value uplift.

It was very clear from visiting it how involved all the parties where including the school, the pupils and the Diocesan Board, working with Telford Homes to deliver a scheme that works really well as two quite distinct uses on a single development. This is a great example of being able to deliver a really high spec school with housing in a tight urban area and it works really successfully.

Justin Carr, Senior Manager, Housing and Land, GLA

We took ownership of the design and planning process, engaging the school community through a series of collaborative project board and steering groups.  This meant a clear vision and specification was defined early on in the project.

We were instrumental in locating and facilitating a temporary school for Holy Trinity to move into during construction.  The school vacated the site in July 2014 and returned to occupy the new school in August 2016, just two years later.  The homes on the upper floors were occupied from October 2016, with final handover in early 2017.

We acquired an airspace lease from LDBS to sell the open market homes with the ground rent collected for the benefit of the school.

The scheme has been heralded as an innovative and exciting project which could help transform the delivery of social and employment infrastructure as part of mixed use developments.  The project has received a prestigious Housing Design Award 2017, as well as a string of other notable awards. 

From day one working with Telford Homes they have been phenomenal to work with. They are accommodating, they have listened and been extremely patient and along with the architects they have held genuinely true to the discussions and the beliefs and the core values we as the school had as to how to make the building work both as a school and as a residential block. The building is allowing us to really develop and challenge learning for children not just for now but moving into the future.

Yvonne Barnett, Headteacher, Holy Trinity Primary School