Press releases

L&G Walthamstow BTR scheme recognised for world-leading digital connectivity

LGIM Real Assets (Legal & General) announces that Blackhorse Mills, its 479-home Build to Rent scheme in Walthamstow, has become the first ever residential building to achieve a WiredScore Gold certification.

21 May 2020


Full press release

Wiredscore, an international rating scheme working within the real estate sector, awarded L&G’s Blackhorse Mills scheme the highest accolade it has ever given for digital connectivity on a residential building, demonstrating a commitment to reliable, instant connectivity and for providing customers with a seamless digital experience.

Connectivity highlights include high quality digital infrastructure, a fibre internet connection to every apartment, Wi-Fi throughout the scheme and Ethernet ports in living spaces. This means renters can use wired connections for their devices, and there is less risk of outages or poor connections. Residents of Blackhorse Mills are also able to get connected from the day they move in with a choice of different packages, providing ultimate flexibility.

Blackhorse Mills, completed earlier this year, is a unique waterside rental destination, providing residents with access to large, communal workspaces; private hire meeting rooms; a yoga studio; games room; gym; swimming pool; and views over the neighbouring Walthamstow Wetlands. Designed in close consultation with Walthamstow Council, the site includes 104 affordable homes, with a dedicated number of these reserved specifically for key workers.

WiredScore Home empowers landlords and developers to improve the digital connectivity of their properties, helping them to understand how to implement best-in-class digital infrastructure. The rating scheme helps landlords to save time and money by reducing the risk of expensive retrofits in the future as well as offering renters transparency and assurance.

Launched in May 2019, WiredScore Home currently has over 10,000 homes committed to certification, with the likes of GreyStar, Argent, LaSalle, L&G, Patrizia and Long Harbour amongst others. It is the first digital connectivity rating scheme for the Build to Rent market.

Dan Batterton: "I am proud that our Blackhorse Mills scheme has been recognised for its hyper-connectivity, providing residents with a seamless digital experience and future-proofing our investment for years to come.

The anticipated continuation of home working beyond the current lockdown has demonstrated the need for residential properties to be equipped with a fast, reliable internet connection. We expect that as the lockdown eases, digital connectivity and dual working-and-living spaces will become a priority for renters, making Blackhorse Mills an ideal base for remote workers."
William Newton: "Undertaking this commitment demonstrates the forward-thinking approach that has been taken. LGIM Real Assets has recognised the immense value of investing in flexible and reliable digital infrastructure as part of their mission to provide a superior in-home experience for their renters. This is essential as technology continues to advance and change, and people’s lives become more reliant on their digital connections.

At the UK launch of WiredScore Home, Rt Hon Jeremy Wright MP, the then Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, highlighted the importance of residential connectivity for the UK. He stated: "When it comes to building new homes, we need to make sure that digital connectivity is seen as just as essential as bricks and mortar. These are the foundations upon which a modern digital economy is built."

WiredScore

WiredScore is the international scheme that rates and provides transparency on the infrastructure, connectivity and technological capacity of real estate. WiredScore was founded in New York in 2013 by leaders in real estate, technology and telecommunications, with an endorsement from Mayor Bloomberg, to improve the city’s technology infrastructure, and support its entrepreneurs who are driving technological advances and creating jobs.

Following success in the US, WiredScore launched in the United Kingdom in October 2015 after winning the Greater London Authority’s tender to be the official Mayor of London Digital Connectivity Rating Scheme. International demand for the digital connectivity rating system has since seen the company expand operations to Australia, Netherlands, France, Ireland, Germany, and Canada. To date, over 500 million square feet of real estate has been certified globally.

Their first residential digital connectivity rating scheme WiredScore Home was launched in May 2019 by the Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport. There are currently over 10,000 homes committed to certification.

www.wiredscore.com/home

Notes to editors

Established in 1836, Legal & General is one of the UK's leading financial services groups and a major global investor, with £1.2 trillion in total assets under management1 of which 40% is international. We have a unique and highly synergistic business model, which continues to drive strong returns. Legal & General provides powerful asset origination and management capabilities directly to clients, which also underpin our leading retirement and protection solutions. We are a leading international player in Pension Risk Transfer, in UK and US life insurance, and in UK workplace pensions and retirement income. Our purpose is to improve the lives of our customers and create value for our shareholders. Through inclusive capitalism, we are investing in long-term assets, such as real estate and infrastructure, that can help build a better society for the future.

1Data as at 31 December 2023.