Posted on Friday 30 October 2009
Tower Hamlets Council has been consulting on its “Core Strategy”. Documentation is on the council website here:
http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgsl/851-900/856_local_development_framewor/core_strategy.aspx
As you will see there are 17 different downloadable pdf documents, 2 downloadable representation forms and an innocent looking text link, “evidence base”, which leads to a further 129 pdf documents. The sheer volume of cross-referenced documentation renders it inaccessible to almost all residents.
There are fine phrases such as, “refocusing on our town centres”, and “a better place for living well”. Apparently, “Bow will be based around a rejuvenated market and a lively town centre”. That’s odd, because Labour have had years to do this, but instead have done everything within their powers to kill off Bow’s shopping centre, the Roman Road.
Tucked away on page 46 of the “Borough Portrait for the Town Centre Spatial Strategy” are these words: “Predicted development in Tower Hamlets over the next 15 years will see major redevelopment on a scale unparalleled in the rest of London. The number of households will increase from 78,530 to somewhere close to 110,000 households representing a 42% increase…”.
The proposed 42% increase in “homes”, which is in addition to the thousands of flats recently built, will wreck Tower Hamlets. Quality of life for existing residents will suffer greatly. Despite the grand claims, something’s got to give, so there won’t be much green space left. The infrastructure will be unable to cope. Having so many people crammed into high density flats will lead to social breakdown.
Many of the new flats have tiny rooms and some of the private flats have rooms smaller than would be permissible for social housing. They will become the slums of the future.
The council says it is keen on getting input and the 143 page Statement of Participation contains a list of Specific Consultees who have already had that opportunity. It contains 23 pages of vested interests (29 on each page). These include architects, property developers and construction companies.
Only a small percentage of the new flats going up are social housing. Most are private flats sold for profit. Marc Francis, the one-time Lead Member for Housing and Development (now just Development), is not listening to his constituents. Instead he is fronting a private construction goldrush.
Conservative party policy is to scrap Labour’s top down spatial strategies which impose these impossible targets, and instead let local people and local boroughs decide how much development they want.