Young people will benefit from fifty units of foyer-style accommodation, to be developed in conjunction with nine light industrial units at a site opposite Walthamstow Town Hall.

The Planning Committee of Waltham Forest Council has granted planning permission for Lee Valley Estates’ plans to refurbish the site.

The fifty residential units will be created within the original warehouse building, with commercial premises on the ground and first floors of the smaller adjoining building. These foyer spaces will be managed by Forest YMCA with Christian Action Housing Association (CAHA) acting as their development agent. Both organisations are well-respected registered social landlords.

The accommodation is designed to offer young clients of the neighbouring YMCA more independence than the traditional hostel environment.

Eight one-bedroom, two two-bedroom and 40 studio apartments will be built. Five of these units will be designed and allocated for use by disabled tenants.

Work is expected to begin at the site in January 2008.

The foyer concept originated in France to give young students and workers somewhere to live before moving on to set up their own homes. Foyers began to be established in the UK in 1992 and differ from the French version in having a strong emphasis on training for employment and other forms of support for disadvantaged young people. It is designed to give young people ‘next step’ accommodation while they prepare for moving into their own homes, having their own tenancy or sharing a place with others.

The four light industrial units and five studios will provide employment for mainly local people and training facilities for YMCA residents. Workspaces will range from 500 to 1,000 sq ft (46 to 93 sq m).

Michael Polledri, Chairman of Lee Valley Estates, said “We are delighted to be involved in the public-private partnership between Lee Valley Estates, the YMCA and CAHA.” He added, “We will be renovating an old building to provide new workspace opportunities for small businesses in the area. The exciting foyer accommodation will provide ‘next step’ housing, which is an important stage on the route to full independence for young adults. The site will provide synergy between small businesses and the YMCA and we also hope to create employment opportunities on site for training initiatives, in partnership with local authorities.”

Keith Drew, Interim Chief Executive of Forest YMCA, said “The YMCA has long experience and expertise in integrating young people in the local community. It provides us with a building close to our existing premises, giving us immediate access for managing the new development. The YMCA will be able to carefully select and monitor tenants, to ensure that they will be good neighbours to the local community.”

Mark Hayes, Chief Executive of Christian Action Housing Association, said “The success of foyers in this country has benefited thousands of young people when they were setting out on the difficult route to adulthood and independence. In big cities, the pressures can make this a hazardous transition in a young person’s life. This new venture will offer a secure and safe place to live, coupled with opportunities for training and employment. This provides an ideal combination of independence with support, guiding young adults successfully on to the next stage of their lives. ”

Martin Brooker, the lead designer at ‘imagining life inside the box’, responsible for the Clockworks design proposal, is committed to developing a contemporary environment with a sense of fun for the intended young user group. This will be achieved through the use of materials, detail and colour, with modern insertions that will ensure the building’s continued use in the 21st century.

ends

For further information, contact Siobhan Crozier on 07831 214352

Notes for Editors

About Lee Valley Estates

• Lee Valley Estates has been established since 1987 to promote economic development throughout the Lee Valley Corridor
• We have strong local roots and local commitment and we are based in the area in which we invest
• We currently provide almost 1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 sq m) of secure and affordable workspace
• Primarily a provider of workspace, we have helped thousand of SMEs to prosper and grow
• London’s changing development priorities mean that brownfield sites are being converted into mixed-use schemes, to serve the needs of communities
• Reflecting this trend, we are increasingly involved in large, mixed-use development schemes, providing homes and community facilities alongside workspace, to support sustainable regeneration
• Our interests focus in two main growth corridors: the Thames Gateway and the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor

About Forest YMCA

• Forest YMCA was established in 1970
• The focus of the organisation over the past 37 years has been in creating opportunities for young people to fulfil their potential in body, mind and spirit
• The ages of the young people we work with are from 5-30 with our primary focus on those between the ages of 14-19
  Forest YMCA works principally (but not exclusively) with those young people who currently reside in our accommodation. Our aims are to:
• Provide direct access accommodation for homeless people within our local catchment area, for a period of up to 12 months
• Provide a ‘move-on’ resettlement service to residents within our Hostel
• Provide a welcome to members for themselves in a meeting place which is theirs to share where friendships can be made and counsel sought
• Develop activities which stimulate and challenge our members in an environment that enables them to take responsibility and find a sense of achievement
• Involve all members in care and work for others
• Create opportunities for exchanging views so that our members can improve their understanding of the world, of themselves and of one another

About Christian Action Housing Association (CAHA)

• Christian Action was founded in 1966 as a local, Church based, response to the need for affordable housing for rent
• This remains our core activity and we continue to build new housing and purchase older properties for renovation when the opportunity arises
• Today we own or manage over 1100 dwellings, and provide a range of housing and services, in the four North London Boroughs of Enfield, Barnet, and Haringey & Waltham Forest
• Our purpose is to identify local needs, to respond to these with local solutions, and to provide excellent local services
• We work in partnership with local authorities, the community, private and voluntary sectors and seek to provide high quality services that are affordable and accessible to our customers