More than three hundred people have mounted a campaign to stop a ten-storey tower being built in London Fields.
Residents’ group No Hackney High-Rise says the proposed tower in London Lane would be bad for locals, displacing small traditional workshops and creating an expensive ‘gated community’ with no connection to the neighbourhood.
In an open letter to Graham Callam, Hackney council planning officer, the group claims the site is “not a suitable location for a tall building” because of the small Victorian houses which surround it, and would have an “overbearing impact” on nearby London Fields.
The residential high-rise was first proposed by the Southern Housing Group in May 2009. The housing association, whose mission is to develop “quality, affordable housing”, claims the building would “promote a sense of community in the wider neighbourhood”.
However No Hackney High-Rise says the group’s plans fail to provide enough affordable living space, and that there is insufficient parking access for disabled people.
Last week, the council rejected plans to build a tower in Dalston Kingsland after pressure from local residents including former children’s laureate, Michael Rosen.
The London Fields application has now passed consultation stage and was due to be discussed by the planning committee last week but has now been postponed to take into account comments made by residents.
