Despite our best efforts, Tower Hamlets Council’s development committee has approved the planning permission to build a new residential development on the site bordering Grove Hall Park and the Memorial Garden.
The vote on 6 August was 4-2 supporting the application, which means it went ahead. Those who voted to approve the propsal were councillors Akhtar, Alam, Choudury & Chapman, while those who opposed it were Francis and Khatun.This is despite the Building Research Establishment (BRE) stating that “a significant number of proposed habitable rooms” do not meet minimum daylight and sunlight values and that only two of the eight proposed amenity spaces achieve the recommended amount of sunlight.
Some of the buildings are closer to each other than usual “recommended separation distance” (including just an 8 metre gap between this building and the existing flats in Taylor Place), and the housing density is at the top end of what would be considered acceptable for “urban” areas.
Oh, and it doesn’t offset enough carbon. But that’s OK because the developers will give the council £25,200 to offset it.
And no-one could clearly say HOW it enhances the conservation area…
But hey, that’s democracy in action.
We shouldn’t consider this a complete defeat, however: we managed to get the main block bordering the park reduced by one storey to four and the wall between the park and development will be high and brick.
Also, the amount of “affordable” housing (ie: rent of no more than 80% of the local market rent including service charges, where applicable) has been increased to 35% from 22%. And a 106 agreement will ensure that any trees damaged or which die as a result of the development in the next 5 years are replaced.
Thanks to everyone who signed the petition and collected signatures: your support helped us get these small concessions. It could have been worse.
FYI, here’s a list of the development committee members and how those who were there voted. Those with no “for” or “against” by their name were not present.
Members:
Chair: Marc Francis (Bow East, Labour) Against
Sabina Akhtar (Stepney Green, Labour) For
Rajib Ahmed (Lansbury, Labour)
Vice-chair: Shiria Khatun (Lansbury, Labour) Against
Suluk Ahmed (Spitalfields & Banglatown, Independent Group)
Gulan Kibria Choudhury (Poplar, Independent Group) For
Chris Chapman (Blackwall & Cubitt Town, Conservative) For
Deputies:
Sirajul Islam (Mile End, Independent Group)
Andrew Cregan (Island Gardens, Labour)
Amina Ali (Bow East, Labour)
Shah Alam (Mile End, Independent Group) For
Shocking result. Very upset. Can’t believe Amina Ali voted for after all the meetings I had with her about the development and he sad she supported our petition. Not amused. Thank you for working hard on the petition I am proud to have been a part of it.
Hi Matthew
Just to be clear: those commmittee members and deputies without a For or Against by their name weren’t at the meeting: the “fors” were Sabina Akhtar, Shah Alam, Gulam Kibria Choudhury and Chris Chapman. Against were Marc Francis and Shiria Khatun. I’ll make that clearer in the post. I think Amina sent her apologies. I guess the tube strike didn’t help…
Next time, apart from a great petition, perhaps we need to pack the public gallery like the residents before us who won their case (in the end there were just the three of us). Maybe that will influence those Councillors who showed little interest. One more vote……
All that said, a huge thanks to everyone who signed the petition, those that collected the signatures, and a special thanks to Tania, who passionately led and put forward our case.
Michael