Heron House at Tottenham Hale – home to The Lock Dining Bar – has gained additional occupants this week. Lee Valley Estates has moved its headquarters into the newly refurbished offices, which the organisation has owned since 2003.

It has also been joined by North London Business. The official agency for economic development across Waltham Forest, Haringey, Barnet and Enfield, decided to relocate to Tottenham Hale, citing the facilities at Heron House and its location next to excellent transport links.

Lee Valley Estates plans to develop Hale Village on its adjacent commercial site, which will drive the regeneration of this part of Tottenham.

The Lock Dining Bar is celebrating its recent win in Best Restaurant category of the Haringey City Growth Business Awards for 2007. This latest ‘gong’ follows an AA Rosette Award for 2006 and a succession of favourable reviews in the national and regional press, including a listing in the latest Michelin Guide for London. The Good Food Guide, published by the Consumers’ Association, Which? and Harden’s Restaurant Guide, also include reviews for The Lock, the latter commenting that diners describe the food as ‘astounding’.

The prestigious Michelin Guide describes The Lock as, “a very sweetly run place with two keen young owners… Full marks to The Lock for opening in Tottenham and doing their bit for the regeneration of this part of London.”

The proprietors, maitre d’ Fabrizio Russo, and chef, Adebola Adeshina, are thrilled to have received the latest award. “It takes creativity backed up with hard slog to establish a really good restaurant,” says Fabrizio, “But it’s so encouraging to get positive feedback – we hear it from our customers and the reviewers but we are very chuffed to have won.”

Adebola cites the quality of the produce as a major factor in the success of his food. “I source everything from what is available in local markets,” he says. “We’re fortunate to have Walthamstow Market nearby, with such a wide choice of fresh produce on our doorstep.”

Chairman of Lee Valley Estates, Michael Polledri, said, “We are extremely proud of The Lock’s achievements and we welcome these accolades – we know that it’s a great restaurant, helping to transform Tottenham Hale from an interchange into a destination. But it’s very gratifying to see Fabrizio and Adebola winning this award – and receiving recommendations from the most exacting of critics. We are also pleased to demonstrate our very firm commitment to the transformation of this area by relocating our headquarters to Tottenham Hale.”

Ends

For further information, contact Siobhán Crozier on 07831 214352

Notes for Editors

Photograph:
Adebola Adeshina (left) and Fabrizio Russo celebrate winning the Haringey City Growth Business Award for Best Restaurant

Hale Villlage will provide

• £400m worth of investment
• 700 jobs
• New amenities including shops, leisure provision, a health club, nursery, primary school and a health centre
• Landmark buildings set in a development of high quality design
• Energy efficiency built into the scheme, drawing on reusable energy sources

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