Campaigners fighting plans for offices and homes in Brick Lane have said the development would ‘rip the heart’ out of the area famous for its vibrant Bangladeshi community.
Truman Estates and Zeloof LLP want to redevelop three sites with 44 homes and offices, but have faced fierce opposition from locals and Tower Hamlets Council.
The council rejected the scheme and the development was subsequently referred to the planning inspectorate.
Campaigner Deba Malique, who lives near the proposed development site, told Metro it was a threat to the heritage of the area and failed to provide the affordable housing needed as rents in London skyrocket.
She said: ‘This development is just not appropriate for the area. We don’t need pricey offices and luxury homes here. We need affordable housing for London – not this.
‘Also this office space will not be cheap and could force rents up for others as landlords raise their rents in line.’
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She also said the plans fail to embrace the history of Brick Lane, which has its world-renowned curry restaurant market and the Bangladeshi community at its heart.
She said: ‘What would this development add to the community? Absolutely nothing, and Tower Hamlets Council agree with us. We have fought this all the way and hope the planning inspectorate will see sense.’
The area in and around Brick Lane is known as ‘Banglatown’ in reference to its history as a main hub for the Bangladeshi community in Britain.
Saif Osmani, an architectural designer and member of the Bengali East End Heritage Society, said developers were ‘gutting’ the old East End.
He said: ‘The East End has always been a vibrant multicultural area but these plans, like others, are gutting the area. This plan which is over ten acres threatens to rip the heart out of Brick Lane. Rents will be pushed up and the restaurants will struggle.
‘We just hope the government sees sense. Tourists love the East End it’s the heart and heritage that people love. We need more homes. We do not need this development which brings nothing to the table for local people.’
The planning inspectorate has heard arguments from both the Save Brick Lane campaign and the developer.
Responsibility for the final decision has been referred to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed, who is due to make a ruling next month.
Campaigners have argued that the development does not have sufficient provision for affordability, with only six out of the 44 proposed units being dedicated as social housing.
They also fear the new development will push up the rents of local businesses and homes in line with the cost of new office space and properties in the area.
The site takes in buildings which formerly made up the Truman brewery, with plans to build office space and a data centre.
Its main site is just behind Brick Lane with a huge factory chimney, now unused, bearing the logo Truman looming over the area.
The Save Brick Lane campaign launched a fundraiser to pay for barrister Flora Curtis to represent them at the planning inquiry last month.
She told the inquiry that the plans would ‘erode’ the local culture which had made Brick Lane so special, saying they ‘will fail to advance equality of opportunity between the Bangladeshi community and others’ alongside not fostering ‘good relations between the Bangladeshi community and others’.
She added that new businesses moving into the offices would be ‘unlikely to benefit the local community’ as much as Truman Estates claims and that the proposal ‘fails to reflect local wants and needs’.
But Truman Estates barrister Russel Harris KC said it is ‘unreasonable’ to expect the main development to focus on housing.
He claimed the development was in keeping with Newham Council’s Local Plan outlining planning priorities in the east London borough.
He said the developer accepted there was a housing crisis in London but that should not mean other developments should be binned.
A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council told Metro: ‘The Strategic Development Committee considered three planning applications related to the Truman Brewery site on 31 July and resolved that planning permission for all three applications would have been refused for reasons relating to scale and massing, heritage, and inadequate housing provision.
‘These reasons will form the basis of the Council’s case at the Inquiry. The final decision will be made by the independent Planning Inspector.’
Truman Estates and Zeloof LLP have been contacted for comment.
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