Morrison Flats North, 35a Commercial Road, London, E1 1LB

demolition of the existing building and redevelopment of the site to provide a 10-storey building with basement, comprising 115 shared living units and associated communal amenity spaces (Use Class sui generis) together with a roof terrace, refuse and cycle storage and other associated works

Authority: London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Inquiry
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Davies G

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The provision of housing stock, in particular that relating to self-contained housing
The living conditions of neighbouring occupiers of 37 Commercial Road (the Dryden Building) in respect of privacy

What decided it

The loss of 34 self-contained flats and the resulting undermining of the supply of self-contained housing under Policy S.H1, to which significant weight was attached, outweighed the benefits of the scheme.

the moderate and limited weight benefits of increased housing supply, co-living choice, design quality and economic activity did not outweigh the significant weight given to conflict with Policy S.H1 over loss of self-contained housing, so the proposal conflicted with the development plan as a whole and the appeal was dismissed

Framework references: 203, 60, 134, 55, 11

Plan policies cited: Policy S.H1, Policy D.DH8, Policy H8

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

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Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

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