S A V E S H O R E D I T C H

THE THREAT

20:11:2008

The proposed development will towever over the local conservation areas and the local community. A 70 metre long wall of 12 to 20 storey towers coming right up to the edge of the pavement will permanently cast deep shadows over the narrow Bethnal Green Road and beyond. Hundreds of local residents and businesses, the long established local artistic community and English Heritage strongly objected to the proposal. Developers will claim the approval as a precedent paving the way for further soulless development. It jeopardises meaningful input from the community into plans for the future of this historic area. The week had seen extensive press coverage which you can read about here and here.

the block

THE SAVE SHOREDITCH CAMPAIGN IS IN FAVOUR OF:

  • Imaginative, brave and appropriate redevelopment of brownfield sites and empty buildings in Shoreditch and the Brick Lane area
  • A full and honest picture of all proposals across all sites, giving a candid, and joined-up overview
  • Involvement of the local neighbourhood in an inclusive and forward thinking ‘master plan’
  • Regeneration sensitive to the flavour and rich history of the neighbourhood, and in keeping with the many listed buildings and Conservation Areas
  • Provision of affordable housing for local families and for small businesses
  • More facilities for the young and elderly of the area
  • More public green spaces (Shoreditch has the lowest ratio of green space to building density in Europe)
  • Conservation status and demolition prevention of 233 Shoreditch High Street, now the LIGHT BAR
  • Proper maintenance and celebration of the listed buildings in the area, such as the famous Boundary Estate and Arnold Circus
  • Putting appropriate older buildings and streetscapes into Conservation Areas (e.g Sclater Street).

THE SAVE SHOREDITCH CAMPAIGN IS AGAINST:

  • Piecemeal release of information with no cohesive or honest overview of all sites involved
  • The removal of community facilities and amenities in favour of commercial development in Spitalfields. Developer: Hammerson
  • The GLA recommendation that the “City Fringe”, is suitable for high-density and tall building development
  • The planning application (passed) to build a 25-story tower block on the site of 32–42 Bethnal Green Road, opposite Rich Mix. Developer: Hammerson
  • The dense, tower-heavy, commercial development proposed for the historic Bishopsgate Goodsyard by London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Borough of Hackney, Mayor of London and Hammerson
  • The planning application for ‘Bishop’s Place’, which involves the demolition of the historic Light Bar, and the construction of 51-storey and a 23-story buildings, which will dwarf the southern end of the Shoreditch High Street (in a Conservation Area) and dominate as far as Curtain Road. Developer: Hammerson
  • Inefficient promotion and limited content of recent joint public consultations with the community, by the London borough’s of Tower Hamlets and Hackney, the Mayor and Hammerson