Redbridge Council wins award for outstanding new homes in Ilford

Published: 21 November 2025 Aerial shot of the Little Gearies estate

Redbridge Council has won a major award for its work delivering high-quality new homes for local people. The Council, working with The Hill Group and Avanti Architects, was named winner of the Best Large Social Housing Development in London at the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2025.

The award celebrates the transformation of the Little Gearies estate in Ilford, where 103 new affordable homes have been built. These include a mix of flats, maisonettes and houses, designed to meet the needs of Redbridge families. The development also includes new roads, green spaces, and better parking and cycling facilities which have been created with residents in mind.

The homes were finished ahead of schedule, with some families able to move in earlier than expected. The project was carefully managed to minimise disruption for people already living on the estate, and the new homes are built to high environmental standards, helping reduce energy use, carbon emissions and household bills.

Councillor Saima Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, said:

“This award is a great recognition for Redbridge and shows what we can achieve when we design with a purpose – creating homes that are sustainable, welcoming, safe and modern where families can thrive. We believe good design should belong to everyone. This award is a tribute to that vision and to the people who made it real. I'm proud of this achievement and even prouder that Redbridge is being recognised for leading the way in building better homes.”

Winning this award means Redbridge Council will now go forward to the LABC Grand Finals in early 2026, where the project will be judged alongside the best housing developments from across the country.

This is part of the Council’s wider commitment to build 600 new homes by the end of 2025, helping to tackle housing need and improve the lives of residents across the borough.