Opal Property Group has started work on site for the creation of its student and health scheme in Hackney

The £17m mixed use scheme in Pitfield Street in Hackney, designed by Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects will provide student accommodation and a natural birthing centre.

It will include four six-storey buildings around a private courtyard.

The community space on the lower ground floor will be used as a natural birthing centre, managed by the Shoreditch Trust.