‘Fantastic’: Sir Keir Starmer MP unveils new development at Maitland Park Estate - CIP

We were joined by MP for Holborn and St Pancras, Sir Keir Starmer, Camden Cabinet Members, and local residents to mark the launch of the Community Investment Programme redevelopment at Maitland Park in Haverstock.

The 119-home redevelopment has replaced an outdated 1960s block, drawing on underutilised land to increase the number of council homes from 36 to 51 and providing an enhanced community centre, a new play area, and improved green spaces.

During the opening ceremony, Camden’s Acting Leader Councillor Pat Callaghan, Cabinet Member for New Homes, Jobs and Community Investment Councillor Danny Beales, and Sir Keir visited some of the new homes and spoke with residents Kirsty, Sherma, Emiola, and Marianne to hear about how they’re settling in to their modern and spacious homes.

Sir Keir said: “Well done to every single person who has been involved in this project. To walk in and see the buildings this morning was fantastic.

“This isn’t just about some bricks and some windows and a roof; this is about life chances, aspiration and equal opportunity for everyone.

“This is what good councils can do when they put their mind to it. I’m very proud of Camden Council and what it has achieved here with this block, and many other similar blocks.”

As part of Camden’s strategy for diversity in the public realm, which aims to better represent and empower the borough’s diverse communities, each of the three new residential buildings at Maitland Park were named by the local community after prominent figures from Camden:

• Noor Inayat Khan - The first woman spy who was dropped behind enemy lines in France during the Second World War. 
• Mary Prince - The first black woman to have an autobiography published in Britain. 
• Antony Grey - An LGBTQ+ Activist whose work led to decriminalization of homosexuality for men. 

To commemorate these individuals at the launch event, we welcomed Emily Momoh, Founder of Camden’s Black British History Group; Shrabani Basu, Founder of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust; and Angela Mason CBE, Former Director of Stonewall to formally unveil their plaques at each building.

Speaking about the redevelopment, Councillor Danny Beales said: “Here in Camden we are being bold and ambitious in delivering new council homes for our residents, building as many as we can as quickly as possible. We are championing the progressive and resilient methods that are needed right now to deliver these homes in the face of the severe financial challenges that councils like ours face. 

“This is because the building of these homes cannot be delayed by the absence of national funding - not while council homes built a generation ago crumble, rents in the private sector skyrocket, and while families suffer in overcrowded homes. At Maitland Park we can demonstrate what is possible when we invest in council housing."