A battle for the \u201csoul of Shoreditch\u201d is being fought in the heart of the East End\u2019s most vibrant community, according to campaigners opposed to an \u00a3800\u2009million development.<\/p>\n
They claim the high-rise Bishopsgate Goods Yard scheme would be \u201can astonishing own goal\u201d if it is is approved by Hackney and Tower Hamlets councils.<\/p>\n
The proposals for the 10-acre site \u2014 the largest brownfield space close to the City \u2014 would see the construction of almost 1,500 homes in seven towers of up to 46 storeys. The scheme would also create a two-and-a-half acre park and restore the arches of the listed Braithwaite Viaduct, London\u2019s second oldest surviving railway structure dating from 1839.<\/p>\n
The site has been largely unused and derelict since a 1964 fire. But local opponents insist the proposal from developers Hammerson and Ballymore will destroy Shoreditch\u2019s bustling hipster economy.<\/p>\n
David Donoghue, of the Spitalfields Society, said: \u201cShoreditch is an international brand now and its success has been based on ground-floor cafes and small offices above with people working in them designing web apps. It is all connected. Something as inappropriate as this on such a massive scale will kill the golden goose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another criticism is that only around 10 per cent of the homes are likely to be marked as affordable, he added. But Rob Allen, Hammerson\u2019s project director, said the criticisms were misdirected and that the area had always been \u201cconstantly reinventing itself\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said the \u201cchallenging\u201d site, which has the East London line, the Central line and suburban overground lines through, alongside or under it, meant any regeneration would have to involve high-rise buildings to make it viable.<\/p>\n
He added that a number of Shoreditch skyscrapers already have planning permission, including the Principal Tower on Worship Street and the Avant-Garde Tower on Bethnal Green Road.<\/p>\n
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