Councillors in Tower Hamlets are pushing back on housing schemes, with claims it is taking on an unfair share of London’s housing need.
Over the past month, four separate schemes were refused consent at Tower Hamlets planning committees, all having been recommended for approval by planning officers.
The schemes were:
- Enterprise House, E1 – 103 unit apart-hotel, 13 storeys. Saco Property Group.
- 225 Marsh Wall, E14 – 332 residential units, 49 storeys. Cubitt Property Holding.
- 1-3 Corbridge Crescent, E2 – 57 units tower, 10 storeys. Aitch Group.
- Locksley Estate, E14 – 17 units, 8 storeys. London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
So, is this just coincidence or is politics playing a part?
In short, it would appear housing targets and calls of over-development are making an impact. Figures released by Tower Hamlets also indicate Sadiq Khan has been listening to the concerns, with the boroughs housing target set to fall from the current 3,931 homes per annum, to 3,511 in the upcoming London Plan.
In total, the London Plan will look to provide 66,000 new homes a year during its lifetime, a significant 17,000 more than the current 49,000 target, set out in 2015.
Across the capital and all 33 London boroughs, Tower Hamlets, and in particular the Isle of Dogs, has seen the most activity in recent years in terms of housing development. Not least due to the huge influx of jobs created in both the City and the Canary Wharf district over the past decade.
With a new London Plan, and therefore new housing targets on the horizon, along with local elections in May, it seems local politicians are on a campaign drive to stick up for their constituents crying foul of over-development.
Back in August, mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs formally objected to Ashbourne Beech’s plans for 2,000 homes and a replacement Asda supermarket. It was the first time the Labour Mayor objected to a scheme, with the plans quickly withdrawn by the developer.
With a backlash from locals due to concerns of “over-development” and the loss of a petrol station, leaving none on the Isle of Dogs, and with local elections in May 2018, the timing of the mayor’s objection led some to believe a mayor who was already in election mode and aiming to appease voters.
“The Isle of Dogs has witnessed a tide of development over the past 30 years. However in recent years it has really accelerated. Put simply, the scale of development can’t continue indefinitely” said mayor John Biggs.
He went on to say, “You’ll always get push back from locals when you propose 50 storeys next to them.”
In an open letter, John Biggs wrote to Sadiq Khan in August, calling on him to review the scale of development on the Isle of Dogs.
At the same time, the London-wide house-building target will rise from its current 49,000 homes, up to 66,000 homes, meaning the outer London boroughs will have to significantly ramp up their targets with the GLA keen on making London a more polycentric city.
Tower Hamlets, commenting on the reduced housing target across the borough, said: “The council views this revised target to better reflect the borough’s future available land and the deliverability of development.”
On the Isle of Dogs more specifically, Biggs said: “We’re happy to provide our fair share of development, historically more than any other borough mind you, but we need the infrastructure to go with it.
“Residents are anxious at the levels of growth the GLA are seeking to impose upon the area and the council currently struggles to envisage how the infrastructure required to support the growth of the area can be funded.”
With limited infrastructure to go with the influx of development, it’s understandable why local residents on the Isle of Dogs are fighting back against high-rise developments.
EG data shows a huge rise in 20+ storey towers submitted over the past few years, with 2014 a particularly bumper year. That, in turn, has led to a jump in towers getting off the ground with 16 separate high-rise towers starting last year alone within the E14 postcode.
Although it seems Tower Hamlets as a borough could see a reduction in its house building target, the Isle of Dogs could be seeing an increase.
The draft Opportunity Area Planning Framework for the Isle of Dogs is due out very soon, having been delayed since spring/summer 2017. The GLA says the delay is so that further work can be undertaken to understand the area’s infrastructure needs.
That further work is in the form of a “Development Infrastructure Funding Study”. Again, this should be revealed very soon and will include a set of recommendations for how to fund the delivery of this infrastructure. In short, the study takes the form of three potential growth targets, a low, medium and high “growth range”; 31,500, 36,500 and 49,000 homes respectively.
The current target set within the Tower Hamlets local plan is 31,000 over the next 15 years. Therefore, it looks as though the Isle of Dogs is set for an increase in house building targets, whilst the wider borough will see a decrease.
Commenting on the upcoming opportunity area, a spokesperson for the mayor of London said: “Sadiq is determined to make the most of this regeneration opportunity and believes that it can play an important role in his wider efforts to tackle the capital’s housing crisis.
“To create the best possible scheme, his team is working closely with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to develop a comprehensive plan to deliver this growth, while protecting existing residential and commercial communities.”
Another potentially controversial high-rise development goes to committee this week, where towers of 26 and 30 storeys are recommended for approval by Tower Hamlets’ planning officers. The scheme has already been cut-down in size from its originally proposed 45 storeys, with the present proposal planning just 319 homes, as opposed to the 484 submitted previously.
Planning has always been a risky business with lots of unknowns. In Tower Hamlets and in particular the Isle of Dogs, it continues to be a minefield.
To send feedback e-mail paul.wellman@egi.co.uk or tweet @paulwellman eg or @estatesgazette
