The firm will now work towards finalising a price for a replacement Britannia leisure centre, a large academy and associated external works for the site next to Shoreditch Park.

Morgan Sindall secured the landmark regeneration project through the Southern Construction Framework, which is available as a vehicle for public bodies in the South of England to procure major building works.

The new large three-storey leisure centre will include several swimming pools, sports halls and two rooftop tennis courts and two five-a-side pitches.

Building work is expected to start next summer on the leisure centre

Once the leisure complex is finished Morgan Sindall will build the new academy on the site of the current Britannia Leisure Centre site and car park. It will cater for 900 students plus 200 six formers.

Work on the new academy building will get underway once the new leisure centre is open

Later phases of the landmark scheme will include six residential blocks rising from four to 24 storeys containing nearly 500 flats mainly for sale. These will help to finance the earlier phase.

Richard Dobson, Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure’s area director in London, said: “This is a key development for Hackney, which will play an important role in the regeneration of the area and deliver outstanding leisure and education facilities for people living in the borough.

“Our team has a deep and varied experience gained working on complex community, leisure and school developments in logistically-challenging urban environments and we’re delighted to have been selected as preferred contractor for this landmark scheme.”

Britannia Project showing later phase of tower block construction

Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney, said: “It’s taken us many months of planning, consultations and public meetings to get to this stage, and we’ve listened to residents and taken on board their feedback throughout. We’ve tried to include as many elements of what people have told us they want as possible.

“While the project is still subject to receiving planning permission, it is right that we start to bring contractors on board to help us with the next stage of the design.”