Image: Google Street View
The Mayor of London has forced Hackney Council into a U-turn after approving a controversial multi-storey school development in Dalston Square, reversing the council’s original decision.
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School will now be demolished to make way for an expanded two-form entry primary school and nursery, as well as an open air playground and 101 residential flats.
Boris Johnson hailed the plan as “a perfectly genius proposal” to cope with rising demand for housing and school places in the borough.
But residents of Dalston Square have expressed concern that their homes may now be left “shrouded in darkness” in the shadow of the 10-storey development.
Emily Laidlaw, speaking on behalf of residents, said: “Ten per cent will not have accepted levels of light – that is more than 50 families who will be deprived of sunlight.
“This build will make the square a dark, windswept corridor and will destroy it as a gathering place for the community.”
The proposal was initially refused planning permission in June by the Hackney Council Planning Committee.
Vincent Stops, Chair of the Planning Committee, denounced the Mayor’s actions, saying: “To call this decision in on strategic grounds is an abuse of process which should be used to deal with poorly informed planning authorities, not the best.”
The original proposal received 188 objections, including a petition with 123 signatories.
However, the decision to expand Holy Trinity has been greeted warmly by members of the school community.
“The development of the school is not a financial investment for us – it is an investment for the future of our community and of our children,” said the school’s pastor Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin.
“We don’t want people to say ‘it’s Hackney and we can’t deliver’ – we can deliver, and we are delivering.”
Quite simple Ben: Although described as 10 storeys, it isn’t. See my comment above. And is it not getting a bit old to keep on with the whole ‘…no one wanted Dalston Square so they should shut up about other projects…’ argument. Maybe it was wrong to build the Square, maybe not. But it was built and everyone has to live with it. That does not mean that all residents in the Square are not entitled to a voice about future projects. Besides, it is not just the Square’s residents that are against this new development: The half of Beechwood Road that were not thrown into shadow by Dalston Square development, will now be by this one. They are also not keen as I am sure you can imagine (especially the pensioners who sit out in their gardens of a sunny afternoon – though not for too much longer now of course).
Firstly, three corrections to your article. The first of these is regarding the proposed building’s height. Although it contains 10 storeys, due to a double-height ‘play area’ and a high ceilinged school, it’s 36m height, as confirmed by the GLA, is equal to an 11 to 12 storey building: Higher than all adjacent buildings. Next, the description of the play area as ‘open air’. Would one call a multi-storey car park ‘open air’? No. Just because it has no walls does not really mean it is ‘open air’. The children’s play area at the new school will have 7 storeys of flats above it. For most of the day, especially during the summer months when the sun is high in the sky, it will be in shadow. Lastly, ‘residents of Dalston Square’ have made no collective statements regarding this development, and Emily Laidlaw is not a spokesperson for said residents. Emily did, however, represent a group of residents who will be directly affected by this build (including some who live in Dalston Square)
As well as these three errors, I find it interesting that your article concentrates on the school expansion. Objectors to this development have repeatedly made it clear that they support the expansion of the school, it is the 101 apartments sitting above with which they take exception. By the GLA’s own admission the building of these 101 new flats will directly affect the light available to 100 apartments to the north, east, and west of them.
I do wonder how many of your readers are familiar with the full arguments against this development and suggest a visit to the GLA website where a full webcast of Monday’s hearing can be downloaded for viewing (https://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/mayor/webcasts). Here you will see that everyone, I repeat everyone, is for an expanded school. The only people for 101 flats is the developer. Every supporter of this development (except the developer) speaks purely of the school. Every objector speaks only of the flats above it.
How can residents of high-rise Dalston Square, in all honesty, complain about the square being completed with a ten-storey development? It will still probably be the shortest building in the square.
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