Berkeley’s St George has announced that 104 paid work placements and 101 work experience opportunities have been created as part of its delivery of Silkstream, a new parkland neighbourhood in Hendon, West London. This exceeds the developer’s initial target by more than two thirds.

Working with local colleges such as Barnet and Southgate College, St George has engaged with more than 2,500 local students through site visits, job fairs and workshops to educate them on the various career pathways available.

The project has already created 14 apprenticeship opportunities, approximately a quarter of the committed 54 apprenticeship opportunities expected through the development’s lifecycle.

These commitments have been achieved in the first two years of the project’s 10-year build programme.

In addition to employment opportunities the development will also contribute funding to the Council £16.7m towards improving social infrastructure in the area, plus financial contributions to footpath improvements, bus services and improvements to Hendon railway. It will also deliver 35% affordable housing for local people and a new 1.5-acre public park.

Steve Kirwan, Regional Managing Director at St George, said: “We are delighted by the work we are doing with local colleges and organisations to help in employment and skills training for the local community. This is alongside the significant additional benefits for the local community which will be delivered by the development.”

Inspiring the next generation in construction, one student noted: “It was great having the virtual presentations before our visit to the St George building site, especially hearing the different roles and career paths that are available in the construction industry and how St George support you in developing your skills. One of the speakers mentioned that he was a scaffolder and is now a manager, that was very inspirational.”

Situated in a key growth area Silkstream marks an exciting new chapter for Hendon, with sustainability central to its vision. Working in partnership with the London Wildlife Trust, 120 trees will be planted and 40% of the 9-acre site will comprise of public space, with this in mind Silkstream is set to achieve an 895% net biodiversity gain. A new 1.5-acre public park, 175 metre oxbow lake, new and improved cycle and pedestrian highways, a restored section of the historic Silk Stream, communal terraces and 1.4 acres of elevated podium gardens add to Silkstream’s green living credentials.

Residents can enjoy access to over 200 nearby green spaces, including seven Green Flag awarded parks, and 2,380 hectares of Green Belt land. It is also near the Brent Reservoir (popularly called the Welsh Harp), Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill, and Golders Hill Park. Silkstream boasts excellent transport links. The creation of Brent Cross West Station, opening this year, is the first major mainline train station to be built in London in over a decade and journeys to Central London will take just 12 minutes.

The Silkstream Sales and Marketing Suite (4 The Hyde, London, NW9 6FZ) is open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm.

For sales enquiries, please contact the team on 020 3728 8833, email sales@silksteamlondon.co.uk, or visit www.silkstreamnw9.co.uk.