Raised in Jamaica before working as a medical practitioner in the UK, Aaron saw his life here changed by unimaginable personal tragedy. However, in the decades that followed he came to occupy a special place in the community and story of Wood Green.
Deputy Mayor of London for Housing Tom Copley joined Leader Cllr Peray Ahmet, Deputy Leader Cllr Sarah Williams, Cabinet Member Cllr Emily Arkell, MP Bambos Charalambous and London Assembly Member Joanne McCartney, along with representatives from Nubian Jak Community Trust and Mind, to officially name the development Aaron Gayle Court.
A plaque donated by the trust was unveiled and the group took a tour to see how local families are benefiting from the development of 23 high-quality council homes.
Cllr Sarah Williams, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, said:
We are proud that Aaron Gayle will be remembered and honoured through this important project.
This development boasts great design inside and out with its ‘flatiron’ shape making the most of a slim, largely unused piece of land. It is another important milestone in our ambitious housebuilding programme.
The development gives individuals and local families the opportunity to live in secure, safe and comfortable homes. It is a wonderful legacy to Aaron, a powerful voice known to everyone across Wood Green who spoke of justice, showed kindness to strangers and was embraced by this community.
Haringey, like so much of London, desperately needs more genuinely affordable housing. I’m especially pleased to welcome Tom Copley so he can see first-hand how the support of the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is helping us deliver a new generation of council homes that are making a real difference to the lives of local people.
Aaron Gayle Court is part of the council’s multi-award-winning housebuilding programme to deliver 3,000 homes by 2031, with more than 2,000 already underway or completed.
Sustainability has been central to the design of the scheme, which uses high levels of insulation, energy-efficient heating and renewable energy measures such as solar panels to help keep household running costs low.
The 23 homes are a mix of one- and two-bedroom flats, two of which are fully wheelchair accessible. All feature private balconies, giving tenants their own personal outside space.
The 9-storey development delivers improved landscaping, new trees and biodiversity initiatives. A new play space for young children is open to local families in the area.
The scheme at the junction of Partridge Way and Trinity Road in Wood Green has been built with sustainably sourced materials.
