Plans for a 23-storey co-living tower in Homerton have been submitted to Hackney Council, with the developer proposing to replace disused garages and a mosque with a mixed-use scheme. The project at 150-164 Homerton High Street includes 385 ensuite rooms aimed at single-person households, alongside an eight-storey block containing 66 self-contained flats at social rent.
Development details and affordable housing
The co-living rooms are designed for residents who would share communal kitchens and lounges, positioned by Re:shape as a response to London's shortage of affordable housing. The scheme also includes 650 square metres of commercial workspace, divided into 10 units, which would be discounted at least 50 per cent below open-market rates for local small and medium-sized businesses.
According to the developer, the project would redevelop a cluster of decaying low-rise industrial blocks, including a workshop garage and a mosque that have "failed to contribute positively to the local street scene." The mosque, Masjid Daar Al-Hadeeth, was scheduled to move to a new home in June of this year, as stated on its website.
History and context of the site
Hackney Council previously resolved to grant planning permission for a different residential scheme at the site in 2020, but that plan was never implemented. Changes to building safety regulations in 2022 followed, and in 2025 Re:shape submitted the current co-living proposal as a workaround to the high costs of conventional residential development.
Re:shape has experience with similar projects across London, including the Woolwich Electric Works regeneration and a co-living scheme in Tower Hamlets. The Homerton proposal is the company's latest attempt to deliver housing in the capital.
Community opposition and concerns
Nearly 400 people have signed a petition since March urging the council to reduce the tower's height to no more than 14 storeys. Residents on Sedgwick Street and Digby Road have expressed fears that the "disproportionately tall" building would overshadow their homes and worsen traffic on the already "gridlocked" Homerton High Street.
The petition states: "We support new homes and investment in Homerton, but this proposal, as currently envisaged, is too tall, too dense and too skewed towards private-rental co-living, with no clear commitment to more family-sized or affordable homes or to protecting the safety and flow of Homerton High Street."
Council planners have also raised concerns about the need to demolish a community space and the building's scale. Heritage officers have noted that the tower would compete for skyline with the nearby Grade II listed St Barnabas Church.
The plans are expected to be reviewed by Hackney's planning committee at a later date.
