Plans for new residential towers to be built on an empty patch of land between two railway lines in Shoreditch have secured ‘support in principle’ from City Hall.
The scheme would see two buildings constructed at Fleet Street Hill, close to Brick Lane and just north of Allen Gardens park.
The tallest block would be twelve storeys high and would contain 220 ‘co-living’ studio flats, with shared facilities including a cafe, gym and roof terrace.
The other building would stand at ten storeys and contain 25 homes available at social rent levels.
The towers would be built on a disused triangle of land hemmed in by the Great Eastern Main Line to the north and the London Overground’s Windrush line to the south. Shoreditch High Street station is only a few minutes’ walk away.
In a statement submitted as part of the application, the developers said that London’s housing crisis is pushing increasing numbers of people towards the private rented sector, which has “a proven reputation of poor quality”, and they argue “an alternative type of accommodation” is therefore needed.
“Purpose-built shared living accommodation, constructed with a high quality design and managed by a single operator to ensure quality is maintained, can help to deal with these market failure issues in London’s housing market,” they said.
In the co-living tower, the plans show each studio room providing a double-bed space, fully equipped kitchenette, dining space, soft seating, storage and en-suite shower-room.
In the other building meanwhile, the social housing would comprise two two-bedroom flats, 15 three-bedrooms and eight four-bedrooms.
According to Sir Sadiq Khan’s London Plan - the key document outlining how the capital should develop over the coming years - all developments on private land should include at least 35 per cent affordable housing.
As none of the co-living units are proposed to be rented out at rates classed as ‘affordable’, only 29 per cent of the development as a whole comprises affordable housing, when measured by floorspace. To make up for the six per cent shortfall, the developer - Blue Coast Capital - is proposing to make a financial contribution of £3,006,071 to help pay for affordable housing to be built elsewhere.
In a report on the scheme, officers at City Hall said the project is “supported in principle” but “does not currently fully comply” with the London Plan. They said this was mainly because “further information is required” on the expected impacts on air quality and biodiversity, as well as the buildings’ sustainability and anticipated energy usage.
The report acknowledges however that the proposed amount of affordable housing, including the financial contribution for more to be built elsewhere, would be “strongly supported” by the mayor’s office.
Tower Hamlets Council will decide whether to grant permission for the project in the next few weeks, working to a target deadline of Monday, May 12.
