A major London development hailed as a model of sensitive, popular urban regeneration is on the brink of being rejected by the local authority, in a decision critics are labelling a catastrophic misjudgement for jobs and growth.
A Development with Overwhelming Public Support
The Shoreditch Works scheme, proposed for a site on the fringes of the City of London, has garnered remarkable public backing. Independent research conducted by urban design group Create Streets found that between 76% and 78% of people preferred the new proposals to the current site. This support cut across all demographics, including age, political affiliation, and socio-economic status.
The project promises significant benefits for the area. It plans to double the usable internal space, creating room for approximately 500 new jobs and apprenticeships. Crucially, it will deliver 78 new homes, with 35% classified as affordable. The scheme also pledges to retain and improve all historic buildings on the site, including a notable terrace on Worship Street designed by Philip Webb.
Hackney's Controversial Stance
Despite this popularity and clear strategic benefits, a well-placed source indicates that planning officials at Hackney Council are advising elected councillors to refuse the application. The planning sub-committee is scheduled to make its final decision at a meeting on Wednesday, 4th February, at 18:30.
This puts the Labour-run council in direct conflict with the national party's stated pro-growth agenda. The site lies just miles from the constituency of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose government has emphasised economic expansion. The potential refusal has been described by Nicholas Boys Smith, founder of Create Streets, as "one of the most jaw-dropping misjudgements of recent British planning history."
A Test for London's Growth Ambitions
The impending decision raises profound questions about London's governance and its commitment to development that enjoys public consent. The Shoreditch Works proposal includes an acre of new public space and funding for street improvements, positioning it as a holistic enhancement of the neighbourhood.
Boys Smith argues that if a scheme of this calibre—sensitive, job-creating, and popular—cannot be approved, then "we are not serious. We are a joke." He contends that rejecting it would be a vote for "decay, decline and decrepitude" over "jobs, growth, homes and beauty."
Campaigners are now urging Hackney's councillors to scrutinise the scheme closely before the vote. There are also calls for the Greater London Authority to potentially 'call in' the application for review should the council reject it, a move that would take the decision out of local hands.
The controversy underscores the ongoing tension within the English planning system, often criticised for being discretionary and slow. The fate of Shoreditch Works is now seen as a litmus test for whether popular, high-quality development can navigate this labyrinth and deliver the growth the capital urgently needs.
