Edith Road is a net zero carbon, new-build social housing development of eight council homes in the London Borough of Haringey. Designed by London-based Satish Jassal Architects and developed in-house by Haringey Council, the project demonstrates how councils can deliver sustainable, affordable housing on infill sites. The new scheme occupies a former car park and garage site, unused for more than fifteen years, and sits adjacent to a modernist planned council housing estate. The development was unanimously approved at the planning stage and has been recognised for its innovative approach.
Housing mix and standards
The scheme consists of five apartments, including one wheelchair home, one duplex, and two townhouses, all designed to exceed national housing standards. Six of the homes are family sized with three bedrooms or more. All homes offer dual or triple aspect for natural light and ventilation and each benefits from views towards the nearby Springfield Community Park.
Sustainable performance
The development is fossil fuel-free, with all homes powered by an all-electric strategy. On-site renewable energy generation is provided through air-source heat pumps and solar panels, enabling the scheme to operate at net zero and achieve a reported 104 percent reduction in carbon emissions against regulatory baselines. A fabric-first approach further reduces energy demand, while passive measures help maintain year-round comfort. Satish Jassal of Satish Jassal Architects said: “The eight new homes at Edith Road show what was achieved when Haringey Council, the architect, sustainability experts, and the local community came together to build these much-needed homes with solutions that helped to improve the environment for surrounding residents.”
Community-focused urbanism
The adjacent council estate comprises repetitive housing blocks connected by access decks. The blocks were pulled away from the public park opposite, resulting in traditional street lines being replaced by a car park that separated the existing homes from the park. The Edith Road scheme repairs this condition by inserting a three-sided courtyard building at the corner of the site to reconnect the traditional and modern urban fabrics.
Urban integration and architectural character
The development acts as an urban marker for the public park in long-distance views, with a four-storey corner marking the approach to Springfield Park and creating a visual connection that helps reintegrate the wider site into its historic context. Its architectural expression references Haringey’s Victorian terraced housing, using red brickwork supplied by The Bespoke Brick Company. The facades are articulated with stepped brick piers, recessed gable details that reveal the brickwork, tall flat arches, and carefully modulated double-height bays. White stone banding at floor and roof levels accentuates horizontal lines, while coloured aluminium Juliet balconies and railings introduce subtle contrast and layered depth. These elements prioritise durability, low maintenance, and a material palette capable of ageing gracefully, grounding the development in its local context.
The courtyard is visually open to the existing estate. The public walkway between the new and existing homes has been widened and re-landscaped to encourage pedestrian movement and create an overlooked urban cut-through. The south-west section of the development is kept to single-storey height to allow sunlight into the courtyard and neighbouring homes. The massing and siting respond directly to surrounding conditions.
Communal space and wider improvements
The communal courtyard includes a vegetable patch and supports interaction among new and existing residents. The project also enabled improvements to the neighbouring estate, including new refuse and cycle storage, and public realm enhancements such as trees, lighting, and landscaping.
A model for future social housing
“Edith Road stands as a shining example of what council housing should embody: well-designed, sustainable, and deeply rooted in the local community and its surroundings,” said Satish Jassal. “There are numerous underutilised pieces of land, dilapidated garages, and pockets of space that, with a bit of vision and ambition, can be transformed into much-needed homes. Given the [UK] Government’s target of building 1.5 million homes within the next five years and London’s housing crisis, we all need to emulate Haringey Council’s approach at Edith Road by capitalising on publicly owned brownfield land.”
