Hackney council is to rewrite its controversial live/work planning guidance after commissioning a study into the hybrid use class.
This week, Hackney appointed EG sister company London Residential Research to review the implementation of its live/work policy and to come up with revised supplementary planning guidance.
Hackney decided to revoke its live/work planning guidance in September last year after expressing concerns that developers were abusing the policy as a way of getting “back-door” residential consent in areas reserved for business space, and avoiding affordable housing requirements.
Hackney, the first London borough to adopt live/work as a planning policy, has also been the most active in opposing its misuse, and this year started sending out planning contravention notices to tenants of developments that failed to comply with regulations.
But in September, a county court ruling said the term was too vague to require both residential and business use.
Other councils including Islington and Tower Hamlets that are also unhappy with misuses of their live/work policies will be looking closely at the results.
References: EGi News 20/12/04
