Campaigns & Consultations

Where possible the CTRA Committee will respond to any consultations that affect our neighbourhood.  In order to do that we will canvass opinion from residents at our open meetings before doing so to ensure we are representing your views. You can also email us your thoughts via info@columbiatra.org.uk. N.B. all consultation responses will ultimately be based on a majority consensus as agreed by the Committee.  If you have a strong opinion on any of these consultations we urge you to also respond to those consultations as an individual.

Below you will find a list of consultations currently under consideration.

114-150 Hackney Road Revised Proposals to include Hotel (July 2019)

Developers Regal London are proposing revisions to their plans for 114-150 Hackney Road. This is the area of Hackney Road that backs on to the cobbled area of Pelter Street where the Joiners Arms was formerly located. Any change of use to buildings in this area is likely to affect residents living on or around Pelter Street.  We therefore recommend that residents review these plans and consider responding to the consultation.

Original plans included office space, retail space (including bringing back The Joiners Arms) and nine flats. We understand the revised plans now include a four star 250 room hotel.

Revised plans can be viewed at a meeting on Thursday 18 July 2019 from 4pm to 8pm at Eastside Educational Trust, 37 Hackney Road, London, E2 7NX 

The CTRA committee will meet to discuss these proposals with a view to writing an official response. Although we strongly encourage all residents to also respond independently (the volume of responses will have an affect on the outcome) we are interested to understand public opinion on these plans, please send us your thoughts by emailing us.

24 February 2020 - The CTRA Committee submitted a response to this consultation on behalf of residents recommending the proposal be REJECTED.  A hearing date is yet to be arranged.

January 2021 - After several cancellation, this planning application is due to be heard by the committee on Thursday 14 January 2021 at 6pm. Anyone wishing to make a representation must contact the Strategic Development Committee

Objections and comments can still be submitted right up until the planning meeting by emailing development.control@towerhamlets.gov.uk. Those writing must include their address and use reference PA/20/00034 and clearly state whether they support or object to the planning application. Guidance on how to object is provided here. 

January 2021 - Planning Officers Report - recommending conditional planning permission is granted

14 January 2021 - The chair and vice chair of the CTRA both made representations at the Development Planning Meeting. The result was a deferment of decision to allow Councillors to attend a site meeting.

Consultation Invitation | Original planning application 

CLOSED CONSULTATIONS:

Sivill House - Window replacements (November 2019)

As part of its major works programme, Tower Hamlets Homes has taken a late decision to replace the windows in Sivill House.  In order to do so THH has submitted a planning application for approval.

Many residents in Sivill House and the CTRA committee are concerned that the proposed changes will:

  1. Make the flats less comfortable to live in by reducing the amount of openable window by almost one fifth
  2. Significantly change the look of the building, permanently altering its character not only of Sivill as a Lubetkin building, but also the way it relates to the rest of the Dorset Estate which it was designed to complement

The main issue with the proposals relate to the raising of the 'transom' (the horizontal aluminium that divides the bottom pane and upper windows) by 30cm/12 inches. THH say this is for safety reasons, however residents believe they have interpreted the recommendations incorrectly. THH has refused resident suggestions of making windows child-safe by adding child-proof locks. Lubetkin designed the building so that the window transom's were inline with the concrete "C" shapes on the front of the block. This change is at odds with this vision and residents believe the change will make the facade look messy.  THH also want to raise the balcony rail to the same height of the transom. This will further alter the building's appearance and will also block views from people's homes. They have given residents no explanation for this plan.

Sivill House residents have shared the plans with architect John Allan, the leading architectural authority on Lubetkin's buildings.  His response, was also endorsed by C20 (The Twentieth Century Society). Extracts from his response include:

"...The original window frame proportions – as with all else in Lubetkin’s designs – were very carefully considered, such that the transoms very deliberately align with the balcony rails across the façade...."

"...Raising the height of these transoms will violate this relationship and result in a disturbing discordance, throwing the whole elevation into disarray...to alter this ‘dialogue’ would be to fundamentally destroy the integrity of the composition..."

"...It should be recognised that Sivill House is unique in Lubetkin’s oeuvre...and this refurbishment project should be approached with exactly the same degree of conscientiousness as would be expected in the conservation of any other designated heritage asset..."

"If Building Control have any safety concerns...they should be addressed by other means internally...rather than by any alteration to the essential geometry of the exterior façade."

Sivill House Residents have asked CTRA residents to respond to the planning application in support of their objection.

The planning application can be viewed here by going to the 'comment's section and selecting 'object', writing an objection and submitting by 25 November 2019.

***UPDATE*** December 2019 - The Council has taken the decision to withdraw their planning application and are looking at alternative options.

Consultation on the Creation of a New Town Council for Spitalfields

Tower Hamlets Council has received a valid petition to create a new parish council (or 'Town Council') and is now consulting with local electors in the wards of Spitalfields & Banglatown and Weavers as well as any other person, organisation or business that has an interest.

Details of the application can be found here: www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/CGR

Comments are invited online (via the link above) by no later than 5pm on 31 December 2018.

Update (11 December 2018) - The CTRA Committee has filed a response to the consultation questionnaire which is available to read here.

Update (22 February 2019) - The Spitalfields Town consultation result is out with 75%  of responses being against the proposal. There will now be a second stage consultation, between two options:

1) A modified version of the original proposal with a change in boundary to remove the Bishopsgate Goodsyard and include an area of Whitechapel.

2) A rejection of the proposal to create a parish council but instead to create or strengthen non-parish forms of community governance

We expect the second consultation to take place in May with a final decision in July 2019.

The full report is available to read here. 

Update (20 March 2019) - Letter received by respondents to the consultation regarding the next steps in the consultation process.

Update (5 April 2019) - Community Governance Review Phase Two Consultation now live. Response deadline is 28 May 2019.

Update (13 July 2019) - London Borough of Tower Hamlets has concluded its consultation on the proposal for a Town Council in Spitalfields and Banglatown. Officers believe the proposal ‘is likely to damage community cohesion’ and there is the ‘potential for significant financial costs’. They have recommended that members REJECT the proposal.

Update (22 July 2019) - On 17 July 2019, the council agreed to keep the existing community governance arrangements within the wards of Spitalfields & Banglatown and Weavers and that a parish should not be created in the area.

No further recommendations were made in connection with this community governance review.

This draws the consultation to a close.

The Bishopsgate Goodsyard Planning Application

Details of the application can be found here: http://consultation.thegoodsyardlondon.co.uk/

An exhibition of the plans can be viewed at 31 New Inn Yard, EC2A 3EY from 8-15 November. Opening times can be found on the consultation website (above).

Update (13 March 2019) – The second consultation to the Bishopsgate Goodsyard ends tonight (13/03/29) at 11.59pm. We urge residents to respond to the short survey consultation - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BGYmarch2019

The CTRA strongly believes that this development does not respond to the local social and affordable housing needs of the area and will be responding accordingly.

Update (14 November 2019) - The GLA has issued a letter confirming that "on 27 September 2019, the Applicant, Bishopsgate Goodsyard Regeneration Limited, submitted amendments to the original applications."

Copies of the applications are available to view at the following locations until 18 December 2019:

Anyone who wishes to make representations about the revisions to the Applications and/or the other information relating to the Environmental Statement should send these in writing to the Greater London Authority at one of the following addresses by 18 December 2019:

  • Email: Bishopsgate@london.gov.uk
  • Post: Bishopsgate Goodsyard Public Hearing, The Planning Team, Greater London Authority, The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA

The CTRA will be reviewing the amendments to the planning application and will respond to the consultation. We urge all residents to also submit their own responses.

Update (17 December 2019) - The Weavers Community Action Group along with the Columbia TRA has created a document to outline the planning application for residents - The Bishopsgate Goodsyard Application Summary - January 2020

Following contact from WCAG and CTRA, Unmesh Desai, the London Assembly Member for City and East has written to Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor, Planning, Regeneration and Skills at the London Assembly requesting an extension to the consultation period.  We await a response.

Update (18 December 2019) - We have received notification that the GLA consultation period has been extended to 31 January 2019. The CTRA and Weavers Commuity Action Group will be organising a community meeting to discuss the application in the New Year. Email info@columbiatra.org.uk to request a notification of the date and time.

Update 3 December 2020 - Despite opposition from both the London Borough of Hackney and London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Mayor Sadiq Khan granted planning permission for the Bishopsgate Scheme to go ahead.

This draws the consultation to a close.