Where: Whitechapel, E1

Who For: Peabody

What: 33 units

Architect: Brady Mallalieu

The previous buildings on this site were used as a Jewish maternity hospital in the early 20th Century founded by Alice Model, an important Jewish philanthropist, and more recently by the Council. However, they were in a dilapidated state and had not been occupied since 2005. Peabody bought the site with advice from CMA Planning to develop these dilapidated buildings into a high quality residential scheme. As part of the design Peabody wanted to commemorate this neglected piece of local history while also providing much-needed affordable homes. CMA worked with a historic building consultant to prepare a detailed record of the previous buildings. CMA then worked with the project team to explore options that involved keeping the existing buildings, but none proved feasible as they would limit both the number of the homes and the layout of any new residential development. As such, other measures where explored to recognise this site's history, including naming the new building appropriately, perhaps after one of the important figures in the site's history, applying for a commemorative blue plaque, and incorporating the history of the site into the design of the façade. The proposal itself was for two buildings - a two storey building to the rear of the site containing three houses and a five storey building to the front of the site fronting Underwood Road containing 30 flats. Permission was granted in January 2013, with partial CIL Relief then being secured in April 2013. The scheme was completed in April 2015.