But it’s not quite social housing as we once knew it. Given the continued lack of central government funding, councils have turned to a more entrepreneurial model, usually including a substantial number of flats for private sale to subsidise the council accommodation. Hackney recently built a pair of David Chipperfield-designed towers, the sale of which helped pay for the regeneration of the Colville estate next door. In Camden’s case, its boutique apartments are marketed as the Camden Collection, with the breathless marketing spiel you would expect from a luxury developer. At the Bourne Estate there are 31 such flats – including two-bedroom ones on sale for £1.3m – in order to fund 35 new council flats and 10 at intermediate rent, leased below market rates.

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