Barnsbury Estate Transformation
We are pleased to share another milestone has been reached at New Barnsbury. Blackmore house has now been demolished.
In late March early April, preparations will begin to remove the basketball court and play area at the rear of the Community Centre. This is part of the upcoming Phase 1A works.
Work is expected to start at the end of March. This allows for essential preparatory works, including the installation of sheet piling. Sheet piling provides temporary structural support and stability while construction takes place close to existing buildings, helping to keep workers and residents safe. We will confirm the exact start by text as soon as possible. Contractors will be on site between 8am and 6pm each day.
Once these works begin, the basketball court and play area will be permanently closed. These facilities will be replaced with a brand-new outdoor space in Carnegie Park. The new space will include: a muti use games area suitable for a range of sports, outdoor exercise equipment and modern children’s playground. In the meantime, residents are welcome to use Old Barnsbury Play Park and the recently upgraded Barnard Park.
During these works there will be no road closures and no loss of parking. Some noise and dust should be expected while work is underway. Noise and dust monitors will be in place at all times, with Islington Council overseeing compliance.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation while these essential works take place.
Next construction update meeting
The next bi-monthly construction update will be held on: Wednesday 13 May, 6pm to 8pm in the Seminar Room at the Community Centre.
Jane from Newlon and Andy from Mount Anvil will attending to provide updates and answer questions.
New Barnsbury update
Planning permission has been granted for amendments to Phase 1A, increasing this phase to 134 replacement homes for existing residents. This has also enabled the size of phase 1b to be doubled.
On 9 December 2025, Islington Council resolved grant planning for New Barnsbury.
The full New Barnsbury programme is expected to take around 10 years to deliver. The development will feature buildings ranging from three to twenty-one storeys, all offering step-free access and a variety of layouts to suit different needs. Residents will benefit from generous storage solutions, two lifts in every building, secure entry systems, and enhanced security throughout the estate.
New Barnsbury will deliver:
- 1,116 new homes, including 426 affordable homes
- Two improved public parks with over 6,000 sqm of new playspace
- 15,750 sqm of open space
- A new 780 sqm community centre and 234 sqm nursey
- A new 306 sqm multi use game area, co designed with former resident and local artist Stazzy alongside residents
- 132 new trees across the masterplan
- Over 1,000 sqm of commercial space
Old Barnsbury update
As you may be aware, kitchen and bathroom refurbishment works at Fisher House and Corbet House are nearing completion and our contractor has now commenced work at Vittoria House.
Meanwhile, surveys are underway at Payne House and Roding House. Once these surveys are completed, a final decision will be made regarding the next location for refurbishment works. All residents will be informed in advance.
Progress updates, including photographs and videos of completed works, are available on the Newlon website. We would like to extend our sincere thanks for your patience and understanding throughout this process and we greatly appreciate the positive feedback you’ve provided through the satisfaction surveys.
The next phase of the project will focus on landscaping enhancements to the children’s playground and the surrounding areas of Fisher House. To support this, we held a Landscaping Workshop at Barnsbury Community Centre on Wednesday 26 November.
You can download the landscaping and estate-wide plans on the Consultation so far page where you will also find our November update flyer.
Please feel free to get in touch by emailing us at best@newlon.org.uk or calling us on 020 3234 2221.
Barnsbury Estate mutual exchange scheme
For Barnsbury residents who would like to swap homes with other residents on the estate, we now have a dedicated mutual exchange scheme.
Registering is easy, just fill out the registration form below to put your home on the register then attend one of our monthly drop-in surgeries to see which other homes are registered which would be suitable for you.
You can download the guide to registering for a mutual exchange below and if you need more information about the scheme, please call us on 020 8709 9172 or email us at BEST@newlon.org.uk.
- Download the Barnsbury mutual exchange registration form
- Download our guide to registering for a mutual exchange
To find out more, download the handy guide to mutual exchange at Barnsbury.
About the Barnsbury Estate
The Barnsbury Estate is owned by Newlon Housing Trust, a not-for-profit social housing provider, who took over management of the Estate from Islington Council in 1999.
The Estate is made up of two areas; Old Barnsbury is the red brick housing blocks between Charlotte Terrace and Barnsbury Road built in the 1930s and New Barnsbury is between Caledonian Road and Charlotte Terrace, which was built in the 1950s and 70s.
Illustration of what the Barnsbury Estate could look like on completion