Peyto Law Acts for the London Borough of Hackney on Regeneration Scheme at Shoreditch Park

Planning permission has today (7 December 2018) been granted by the London Borough of Hackney for a regeneration scheme at Shoreditch Park. The hybrid application sought permission for a new leisure centre, new secondary school, commercial floorspace and up to 481 residential units (including 81 affordable units) in 6 separate blocks ranging from 4 to 25 storeys in height on the site of the existing Britannia Leisure Centre, Shoreditch Park and surrounding land.

Louise Humphreys was instructed by the London Borough of Hackney in its capacity as landowner and applicant, working with the Project Team, on all aspects of the planning application and s106 obligation to deliver this ambitious regeneration project.

It is hoped that construction will start on the leisure centre and school in early 2019 and complete in 2021.

New Secondary School
New Leisure Centre
New Residential Tower

Change To Regulations To Facilitate Local Authority Development Proposals

Whilst changes to legislation are usually the last thing LPAs welcome, the same may not be true of the Town and Country Planning General (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) which come into force on 23 February 2018.

Whilst planning permissions usually run with the land, meaning that they can be implemented by anyone, the same has not been true of permissions granted by a LPA for its own development (or in the case of a joint development, the LPA and other person specified within the planning application) as a consequence of Regulation 9 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992 

The 2018 Regulations will remove Regulation 9 with the effect that planning permissions granted by LPAs to themselves will now run with the land.

The 2018 Regulations will not affect planning permission granted prior to 23 February 2018, but their coming into force will equip LPAs with a further means of facilitating development in their areas. LPAs utilising this small but powerful change in the Regulations can plan ahead in terms of development by ensuring their land is sold for a use that benefits the area by virtue of the planning permission that runs with it.

In theory this is a positive change for LPAs, but whether or not they make use of the potential benefits remains to be seen.