Developers hoping to build a £450m office tower within Whitechapel’s closely guarded conservation zone were dealt a significant blow last night, as Tower Hamlets Council rejected the scheme on environmental and heritage grounds.
Malaysian company Alliance Property Asia wanted to build a 280,000 sq ft office-led scheme on the playground of Canon Barnett Primary school at 101 Whitechapel High Street, E1, which is the beginning of the Whitechapel conservation area.
The Foster + Partners-designed development, which was being brought forward in partnership with South Street Asset Management and Henderson Park, would also have involved demolishing two existing buildings on Whitechapel High Street and Commercial Road.
But Tower Hamlets Council last night rejected the scheme, in a decision that councillor Val Whitehead described as “devastating” for the proposals, which had already been revised after a previous refusal in 2018.
Whitehead, who chaired the committee, said: “We don’t think this is the right development for this area at this time.”
She stressed embodied carbon concerns which had been expressed by other councillors over bulldozing existing buildings, adding that the benefits of additional office floorspace would not outweigh the damage to Whitechapel’s conservation area.
She also urged developers to “keep tall buildings in the tall building zone” for future developments, noting that this was the second rejection of the scheme in three years.
Following the previous criticism, the latest designs reduced the height of the building from 19 to 14 floors. They also involved retaining one of the main Victorian facades on the site.
In their report, Tower Hamlets planning officers said the scheme was “finely balanced” but had recommended it for approval.
Panama-registered Alliance Property Asia said the scheme would bring new public realm, new jobs and “a reduction in crime”.
The developers were targeting BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum certifications, while the offices would have incorporate affordable workspace and external terraces.
However, Tower Hamlets came down on the side of those who had sent in 218 letters of objection in recent months, versus just six letters of support, in doing so overturning the judgment of their own planning officers.
Among the objectors were the Victorian Society, the Spitalfields Trust, London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, Save Britain’s Heritage, the Spitalfields Neighbourhood Planning Forum and the East End Preservation Society.
EEPS’s objection said the scheme “has no regard for the history and fabric of Whitechapel, its current character nor its residents”.
The Spitalfields Trust said it would do “substantial harm to heritage assets, which will instead harm the amenity of a primary school… The application site is outside the tall building zone, the boundaries of which have been drawn precisely and for good reason.”
Plans included a new playground for the school. However, a new school extension had been dropped from the plans. Canon Barnett Primary School did not object.
Last month it was confirmed that Henderson Park and South Street had agreed a funding deal for the £450m scheme. Nick Weber, founding partner of Henderson Park, called it “a significant opportunity”.
EG has approached Henderson Park, South Street Asset Management and Alliance Property Asia for comment.
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