Media giant Time Out will have to wait longer for a decision on its plans for a 20,000 sq ft-plus food hall in London’s Spitalfields, a long-awaited debut for its food market model in the capital.
Tower Hamlets’ development committee today (12 July) voted to defer a decision on Time Out’s proposals for 106 Commercial Road, E1, a Grade II listed disused office building that was once a horse and carriage repository, in order to allow time for a site visit and review of the “historic building”. The next committee meeting is scheduled for 10 August.
Time Out’s plans have previously been rejected by the council over their conservation impact. Time Out appealed in 2018 and lost, but council planning officers said the latest plans overcame issues with the past application.
Time Out has said the scheme will include 12 permanent kitchens “of fine dining standard, reflecting the city’s best chefs and cultural elements and providing a canvas for local artists”. That number of kitchens is down from 18 in the rejected scheme.
Matthew Clatworthy, project manager at Time Out Market, told the committee that the project would “bring the best of the city together under one roof”, noting that at the time of the last application, the company had just one food market in Lisbon and now has several around the world.
The hall would include a private dining and function room in the basement, a bar and bakery on the ground floor, four “signature chef” areas on the first floor along with a pizza servery and sushi counter, and five kitchens and more private dining space on the second floor. The hall would have room for 360 guests.
The food market would be a long-awaited London debut for a model that Time Out has used in cities including Lisbon, Dubai, Miami and New York. However, its plans to open a similar scheme in London have encountered several setbacks – alongside the previous rejection for the Spitalfields site, the company last year said the Covid-19 pandemic had put paid to plans to open a market in Waterloo.
The plans attracted multiple complaints ahead of today’s meeting. Since the council published its recommendation to approve last week, there have been 62 letters of objection and 27 in support. A representative for restaurants on Brick Lane said a decision to approve would “destroy” what is known as “the curry capital of Europe” and said the committee was making “an historic decision”.
Tower Hamlets planning officers said in their report: “It is appreciated that a large number of residents have expressed concerns about the antisocial behaviour levels within the surrounding area and the perception of potential for an increase in these behaviours as a result of the proposal, as well as noise and general movement disturbance impacts. However, it is considered that, subject to conditions, the impact upon local residents can be suitably mitigated.”
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