The founder of Lee Valley Estates, Michael Polledri MBE, has been awarded the prestigious St Mellitus Medal by the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd & Rt Hon Richard Charles.

The awards came in recognition of the community building work in Hale Village, the £450 million mixed use urban village in Tottenham, North London.

Polledri played a crucial role in creating the opportunity for the first Anglican church to be constructed in London for 40 years.

The medal takes its name from St Mellitus, the Bishop of London, who re-founded the Diocese in AD 604, and is awarded in recognition of substantial contribution to the Christian life of London.

The new St Francis church was recently handed over to the Diocese for fitting out and will open its doors for services from next year.

Polledri commented on receiving the award: “It’s a huge honour to receive this medal. To help create such an important community facility and service is a great privilege.”

His vision for Hale Village was conceived in 2008 and was to create a new urban village with community at the heart of it.

One part of the new church offering, the Engine Room community centre, has been operating from temporary premises in Hale Village for the past two years.

Overall, the new church facilities will feature a 24 space nursery, two community halls, a café, a learning workshop and a chapel for worship and prayer.

Polledri is involved in a number of community and voluntary sector projects in the Lee Valley area and was awarded his MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2010 in recognition of his services to Enterprise & Regeneration in North London.

Hale Village has been voted one of the top 30 best regeneration projects in the UK and the most Innovative Affordable Housing Scheme.