Construction work has started on 15 new homes in the north of the borough including badly-needed new affordable housing for local residents.

The new housing on Tollington Way in Holloway, will include eight new council homes, with seven more apartments for sale.

When finished, the apartments will have from one to three bedrooms, and include two ground-floor homes with full wheelchair access.

The development will be named the Mary Seacole Apartments and is built on the site of a former nursery that closed down in 2011.

Demolition of the nursery began in September and the homes are aimed for completion in 2018.

Work is being carried out by construction company Quinn London, and all homes will be offered first to Islington residents.

Executive member for housing and development, Cllr Diarmaid Ward, said: “Like the rest of London, Islington faces a housing crisis and we’re committed to building more affordable housing.

“This development will include eight new council homes for Islington people in severe housing need.

“We’ll continue to transform sites like this, which are currently underused, as part of our commitment to building new council homes.”

Mark Devon, Director at Quinn London, said: “It is a genuine pleasure to have the opportunity to work with the London Borough of Islington to deliver much needed housing solutions for their residents.

“We appreciate that the selection of a suitable contractor was not taken lightly by Islington, and we look forward to delivering a quality completed project that exceeds expectations.”

Islington is committed to 2,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2019, including 500 new council homes. 242 affordable homes are currently under construction.

For more about new council housing in Islington see www.islington.gov.uk/newbuild.