Planners have recommended Hackney Council support in principle plans to develop the former Bishopsgate Goodsyard in Shoreditch, E1, but object to Ballymore and Hammerson’s revised proposals due to the bulky design of the buildings and the impact on surrounding heritage assets.
The rejigged plans, which now include 500 homes and 1.4m sq ft of workspace in buildings rising up to 29 storeys, are to be decided upon by the Greater London Authority on 3 December after the original proposals were called in by former mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2015.
Hackney’s planning officers admitted the 10-acre east London scheme would have some benefits, including the provision of 140,000 sq ft of affordable workspace, but felt the design and harm to heritage assets was still too detrimental to the area.
A spokesperson for Hammerson and Ballymore said: “We acknowledge that Hackney’s planning officers do have some outstanding concerns regarding certain aspects of the proposal, but believe that our high-quality buildings are appropriate, reflect the large number of constraints across the site, and make possible the wide range of benefits that the scheme provides.”
Some 360 objections against the scheme have been received by the council.
The Victorian Society said it was “alarming” the scheme was even being proposed, while the Spitalfields Trust claimed the development would “harm” the character of conservation areas in Spitalfields and Shoreditch, including Brick Lane.
The trust also raised concerns that the initial masterplan was more reduced in scale and less dense, which suited it to “better” to its surroundings, but following consultation with the mayor’s design advocates and the GLA, the developers “were encouraged to increase density and make the new buildings ‘less subservient’ to the historic structures”.
“This raises questions about the quality of the advice that has been given at key consultations, resulting in an increase in height, mass and encouraging the new development to overwhelm the historic structures on the site,” the trust added.
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