A north London council has built the first block of flats to comply with the religious rules of Orthodox Judaism.
The Tower Court development, commissioned by Hackney council, has balconies that can be used for the religious holiday of Sukkot and kitchens that suit a kosher arrangement.
The lifts will also comply with the restrictions on manual labour required on the Shabbat — the Jewish Sabbath.
The development will contain 132 homes. 33 will be for social rent, 19 for shared ownership, and 80 for outright sale, and will be open to anyone regardless of faith.
It is one of 18 sites in the council’s Estate Regeneration Programme which, in total, will deliver 2,826 homes. 960 will be for social rent, 495 for shared ownership and 1,371 for outright sale.
‘With 13,000 families on the Council’s housing waiting list and 3,000 households in currently living in temporary accommodation, we are not only doing everything we can to build the new homes Hackney needs, but making sure that these are firmly rooted in their communities,’ said the Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville.
‘At Tower Court we have been delighted to work closely with the Orthodox Jewish community, alongside all other local residents and those with a right to return, creating homes with sukkot-friendly balconies, chabbat-compliant lifts and kitchens that suit a kosher arrangement.
‘Through understanding the needs of the local population, we are ensuring all our new homes are available and accessible to everyone in this award winning new development.’
Image: Elena Rostunova / Shutterstock.com.
