HG Construction to build 326 homes on former Ilford department store site

HG Construction has won the contract to build 326 new homes in residential towers across the site of the former Harrison Gibson department store on Ilford High Road in east London.

The site has stood vacant for nearly a decade. Main construction work can now begin after MP Living, the social housing provider established by Meadow Partners, received the first tranche of grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA).

MP Living is delivering the scheme in partnership with the GLA and the London Borough of Redbridge. The provider will retain ownership and management of the completed homes — a structure that keeps the 326 units outside the open sales market and under long-term social management.

Redbridge's Planning Committee unanimously approved MP Living's proposals in May 2025. That approval followed the failure of an earlier scheme on the site to progress, ending years of uncertainty for one of Ilford High Road's most prominent stalled plots.

J. Andrew McDaniel, director of MP Living and co-founder and partner at Meadow Partners, framed the project as a test case for how affordable housing gets built in the capital. "London is experiencing huge demand for affordable housing yet faces immense challenges to deliver new supply," he said.

"As a long-term investor in the affordable housing sector, we are proud of our collaboration with the GLA and Redbridge to bring this project to life – an example of the capabilities made possible by constructive, strategic public and private sector partnerships," McDaniel added.

The funding sequence marks the practical unlock for the project: the GLA's first grant tranche, not the planning consent alone, is what moved the development from approved to buildable. With HG Construction now contracted and MP Living committed to owning and managing the finished homes, the former Harrison Gibson store moves from a near-decade-long vacancy toward delivery as permanently affordable stock in east London.