planning report D&P/3707/01 12 December 2016 Chrisp Street Market, Poplar in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets planning application no. PA/16/01612 Strategic planning application stage 1 referral Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008. The proposal Redevelopment comprising the demolition of existing buildings (with the exception of the Festival of Britain buildings, Clock Tower and Idea Store) and construction of buildings ranging from 3 to 25 storeys (up to a maximum AOD height of 88m) providing: 649 residential units, replacement market canopy and service building, reconfiguration and replacement/extension of commercial uses including new cinema, extension to Idea Store for community, flexible workspace, retail floorspace and improved public realm. The applicant The applicants are PoplarHARCA and Telford Homes, the planning agent is Savills and the architect is Sheppard Robson. Strategic issues summary Principle of the uses: the scheme would enhance the retail, leisure and evening economy offer of Chrisp Street Market District Centre and would contribute towards the wider regeneration of Poplar, which is strongly supported. The Council should however secure affordable workspace, support for existing businesses, market relocation and retail unit sizes by condition or S106 agreement. The applicant should provide an update on the relocation of social infrastructure. (paragraphs 16 to 21) Estate regeneration: the development would result in an increase in social rented units, with a mix that better reflects current need, although the applicant should provide existing and proposed floorspace figures. Many of the tenants have already been decanted to other housing in the Poplar area and the proposed social rented units would be occupied by tenants of the RP. Leaseholders have been offered full market value, in addition to hardship support, shared ownership and lease swap options. The applicant has consulted extensively on the regeneration proposals over the last 7 years. (paragraphs 22 to 24). Housing: the replacement of all existing social rented units with better quality housing is supported, equating to 20% affordable housing. The viability assessment requires further robust scrutiny and the applicant should explore additional funding options to ensure the maximum reasonable affordable housing is secured. (paragraphs 25 to 30) Urban design and heritage: the improvements to permeability through the site and public realm quality are strongly supported, although the applicant should address concerns over the legibility of some public spaces. The architectural quality is very high and there would be no harm to heritage assets. (paragraphs 31 to 43) Recommendation That Tower Hamlets Council be advised that, whilst the principle of the proposal is strongly supported, the application does not comply with the London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 58 of this report. However, the resolution of those issues could lead to the application becoming compliant with the London Plan. page 1 Context 1 On 27 September 2016 the Mayor of London received documents from Tower Hamlets Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. Application documents were received on 3 November 2016. Under the provisions of The Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor has until 14 December 2016 to provide the Council with a statement setting out whether he considers that the application complies with the London Plan, and his reasons for taking that view. The Mayor may also provide other comments. This report sets out information for the Mayor’s use in deciding what decision to make. 2 The application is referable under the following Categories of the Schedule to the Order 2008: Category 1A: “Development which comprises or includes the provision of more than 150 houses, flats, or houses and flats.” Category 1B: “Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building or buildings outside Central London and with a total floorspace of more than 15,000 square metres.” Category 1C: “Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building more than 30 metres high and outside the City of London.” 3 Once Tower Hamlets Council has resolved to determine the application, it is required to refer it back to the Mayor for his decision as to whether to direct refusal; take it over for his own determination; or allow the Council to determine it itself. 4 The Mayor of London’s statement on this case will be made available on the GLA website www.london.gov.uk. Site description 5 The rectangular shaped site is 3.7 hectares in size and comprises the urban block between Chrisp Street and Kerbey Street, bound to the north by Cordelia Street and to the south by East India Dock Road, as well as a small car park on the east side of Chrisp Street. The site comprises the majority of the Chrisp Street District Centre and includes a number of small retail units, Co-op and Iceland supermarkets and Chrisp Street Market at its heart. There are also community uses in the form of an Idea Store and a youth club in the north-east corner. 169 residential units are also located on the site, 124 of which are social rented units. 6 Three storey buildings, along with the clock tower, located around Market Square and along Market Way form part of the original 1951 Festival of Britain (FOB) living architecture exhibition, comprising retail units on the ground floor with maisonettes above, as well as two public houses. The other buildings on the site were constructed later and include low rise concrete residential blocks, purpose built community and retail buildings and Fitzgerald House, a 22 storey concrete clad tower block. The Market Square is partially covered by a canopy constructed in the 1990s when other single storey buildings were also built. Car parking and servicing areas are in various locations across the site, particular along Kerbey Street and adjacent to the supermarkets. 7 The original masterplan for the FOB housing was never fully realised and later development has departed from the intended street pattern. Notwithstanding this, the site forms part of the Lansbury Estate Conservation Area, which extends to the west of the site and includes a number of listed buildings from the post-war period, along with surviving remnants of earlier development. The FOB page 2 housing and clock tower are currently being considered for listing by Historic England. The Grade II listed art deco Poplar Baths building is opposite the site to the south, adjacent to All Saints DLR station. To the east is the generally low rise Brownfield Estate, although this includes the 27 storey Grade II* listed Balfron Tower and more recent residential towers of around 20 storeys. To the north is a modern mainly residential development of up to 10 storeys. 8 Chrisp Street marks the boundary with the Lower Lee Valley Opportunity Area to the east, and East India Dock Road marks the boundary with the Isle of Dogs and South Poplar Opportunity Area to the south. The site is also a priority site within the Poplar Riverside Housing Zone. Most of the site, apart from the far northern part, is within a Regeneration Area, as identified in the London Plan. 9 East India Dock Road (the A13) is part of the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN). The A12, Blackwall Tunnel approach Road, also part of the TLRN, is located 400 metres to the east. The nearest station is All Saints DLR and Langdon Park DLR station is also located within 100m from the north-eastern boundary. Five bus routes serve this area from stops on either East India Dock Road or Chrisp Street. The Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) of the site ranges from 3 to 5 (PTAL 5 adjacent to East India Dock Road). The site is also served by the Mayor’s Cycle Hire Scheme. The nearest docking station is “Chrisp Street Market”, which has 17 docking points and is located adjacent to East India Dock Road. Cycle Superhighway 3 is located 400m to the south of the site and can be accessed from Poplar High Street. Details of the proposal 10 It is proposed to comprehensively redevelop the site for a mix of uses, including non- residential uses in the form of a community hub (including extension to existing Idea Store), cinema, food store and extensions to existing retail units. It is proposed to retain the existing FOB retail units and demolish the existing Co-op and Iceland food stores, other small shops and community building. The total floorspace of retained, extended and new non-residential floorspace would be 18,175sq.m., an uplift of 1,293sq.m. 11 In terms of the residential use, it is proposed to retain 43 units that are within the existing FOB housing, 27 of which are social rented. The remaining 169 units would be demolished, 124 of which are social rented. A total of 649 new units are proposed, 131 of which would be social rented. 12 The proposal would entail the demolition of the majority of buildings and structures on site, with the exception of the FOB retail units and housing, the clock tower and the Idea Store. New buildings would be constructed, including a 25 storey tower in the south east corner, as well as mid and low rise buildings forming perimeter blocks. The demolition of existing buildings enables new pedestrian routes to be created and public spaces would be improved. The perimeter block arrangement would enable the majority of servicing and refuse/cycle storage to be accommodated within the blocks, although some of this would be at basement level.