Six Acres Estate, Islington

The Estate

The Six Acres Estate in Islington is an interesting example of 1960s council housing—notable for its distinctive Art Deco-style triangular bay windows and its unexpected connection to John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) of the Sex Pistols, who grew up in the Honeyfield block. The estate has even featured as a filming location, most recently for the series “Pistol.”

Owned and managed by Islington Council—the largest local authority landlord in London—Six Acres comprises ten residential blocks: Fallowfield, Millfield, Brookfield, Honeyfield, Monksfield, Stonefield, Fyfield, and Dellafield, including one 12-storey High-Risk Building (HRB) Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU).

The Challenge

The Six Acres Estate posed a clear challenge: how to deliver modern full-fibre connectivity to a large, occupied council estate — including a 12-storey High-Risk Building (HRB) — without disrupting residents, compromising fire integrity, or triggering unnecessary regulatory delays.

Under the Building Safety Act, any telecommunications work within HRBs can fall under Building Safety Regulator (BSR) oversight. While certain low-impact works may qualify for exemption, that exemption must be justified with clear evidence of compliance, competence, and preserved safety standards.

Islington Council needed a delivery partner capable of upgrading the estate’s digital infrastructure safely, efficiently, and in full alignment with BSR principles—maintaining the golden thread while achieving modern connectivity for every resident.

The Solution

4Fibre—SCCI Alphatrack’s shared, neutral-hosted full-fibre network—was selected as the foundation for the upgrade. Designed with safety, compliance, and efficiency at its core, 4Fibre ensures each installation is carried out once, to the highest standard, and with minimal impact on the structure.

Once the 4Fibre network was installed across all ten blocks, SCCI Alphatrack undertook comprehensive testing, certification, and documentation to confirm fire-stopping integrity and compliance with BSR guidance. Each riser and cable route was verified under FIRAS accreditation, ensuring the system could be maintained safely for the life of the building.

By delivering a single, neutral-hosted network, SCCI Alphatrack effectively future-proofed the estate — allowing multiple service providers to operate over one compliant infrastructure without repeated intrusive works.

Following completion, the 4Fibre system was integrated (via PIA) into the wider Community Fibre backbone, providing residents with access to high-speed, low-cost broadband through a trusted provider.

Community Fibre now offers residents symmetrical speeds of up to 5 Gbps, with entry-level packages from under £20 per month (as of July 2025). Their network operates with 99.9% uptime and zero peak-time slowdowns, ensuring reliable digital access for every household on the estate.

The Outcome

Through a single, carefully managed installation, SCCI Alphatrack delivered a full-fibre upgrade that’s safer, faster, and fully compliant. By maintaining BSR-aligned principles, FIRAS-certified fire stopping, and meticulous record-keeping, the project provides a clear demonstration of how digital infrastructure can coexist with stringent safety standards in high-risk residential environments.

The result: future-proof connectivity for residents, streamlined compliance for the landlord, and a reinforced commitment to safety across the built environment.

“Do it once. Do it right. Maintain the golden thread.”