Plans to build more than 1,300 homes and a new secondary school on the former Westferry Printworks site in East London have been given the green light.
The plans will see 1,358 homes built in several blocks ranging between four and 31 storeys, a secondary school for 1,200 pupils, a ‘police base’ for the Safer Neighbourhoods Team and space for shops. Out of 1,358 homes, 379 of these will be classed as ‘affordable’, with the remainder for private sale.
The scheme, from Westferry Development Ltd, will also deliver 230 family-sized homes across all tenures. The plans mark the third planning application that has been submitted for the 15-acre site, located on the Isle of Dogs, in eight years.
Tower Hamlets Council previously turned down two planning applications for the site from Northern & Shell, which the company Westferry Development also belongs to. In 2016, then-London mayor, Boris Johnson overruled a previous council decision and approved plans for 722 homes to be built on-site complete with a secondary school and offices.
However, these plans never materialised as two years later a revised planning application was submitted which wanted to more than double the number of proposed homes for the site.
Northern & Shell’s hopes of building 1,500 homes across five tall tower blocks were rejected by the council and the Planning Inspectorate, who raised concerns about the buildings being too tall and it being out of character with the area.
Housing secretary at the time, Robert Jenrick, overturned previous objections and granted planning permission in 2020 despite being advised not to by his own planning inspector. It was later revealed that Northern & Shell had donated £12,000 to the Tory Party two weeks after Mr Jenrick gave the plans the green light.
Mr Jenrick later said what he did was ‘unlawful by reason of apparent bias’, though Labour demanded an inquiry. By late 2021, the Conservative government quashed Mr Jenrick’s previous decision, stating that the plans would have caused harm to the surrounding area.
During the most recent public consultation phase, 6,820 letters were sent out to nearby residents and owners. The plans received 968 responses in support of the development while 51 people had objected to the plans.
During last week’s meeting, the committee heard from three objectors including Andrew Wood, an ex-Tower Hamlets councillor who raised concerns about the secondary school, which was promised eight years ago but was never built.
Mr Wood said: “…as you saw in the presentation, permission for that school was already granted eight years ago in 2016 and in August 2016, this council, the Mayor of London and the developer signed a section 106 legal agreement that said the new school should be complete by September 2022.
“Eight years later there is still no school but there are around 450 local pupils in a converted office building which the government bought for £30m in nearby Crossharbour as a temporary school building while they waited for this site.”
He added: “The office space was never designed as a school and it may shortly lose some of its internal space and all of its outdoor sports space to another developer likely to come to this committee in the next few months.
“If you grant planning permission tonight, how do you know the developer will sign the lease? Where is your guarantee they will sign the lease?”
Later on in the meeting on August 28, Richard Martin who is the director of Westferry Developments said the company has already got an agreement for a lease ‘that is ready to sign’ and the school provider has been identified.
Resident Ruth Bravery had concerns over the size of the development. Ms Bravery said: “The new proposal is only 166 units less than the refused scheme… but it’s 636 units more than the consented scheme [approved by Boris Johnson in 2016].”
Ms Bravery mentioned how the planning inspectorate previously rejected plans over “excessive scale, massing and height” and argued this time round only the height issues had been addressed, but not the scale and massing. Mr Martin said the plans had gone through a ‘substantial consultation’ and the homes are much needed and of high quality.
He said: “It’s my firm belief that the scheme before you tonight is a significant improvement on the previous schemes and truly optimises the site’s potential as is required by the London Plan.
“The scheme will create thousands of jobs during the construction phase and thereafter and we will work with your employment officers to help ensure that local residents have access to these jobs as well as 135 local apprenticeships.”
Aspire councillor and chair of the committee, Amin Rahman called the plans ‘a beautiful masterpiece’. He said: “I think the island has only one secondary school which is George Green’s School, it does need another secondary school, maybe two or three but it’s a beautiful masterpiece you have presented. There are a lot of large family homes which excites me about this application.”
When it came to the vote, six councillors voted in favour while one voted against, meaning the plans were approved.
