Hackney Council secures exemption from new Government rules allowing offices to be turned into homes without planning permission
Hackney council is one of only 17 local authorities to be exempt from new planning rules that would have made it easier to convert office space into homes, Tech City News has learned.
Coalition of Start-ups
In February, a coalition of startups petitioned the government to grant Hackney an exemption from the new rules, arguing that the new regulations would drive up the price of office space in the area, making it harder for small businesses and start-ups to get off the ground.
The new rules, announced by the government in January in an attempt to ease the housing crisis, would have allowed shops and offices to be converted into homes without planning permission.
Small businesses at risk
“We are pleased to have been granted these exemptions and will continue to protect space for local employment,” said Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney. “The original plans could have seriously damaged Hackney’s fast-growing local economy, particularly putting at risk small independent start-up businesses who need affordable office space, and all for the creation of high-value private flats that local people would have been unable to afford,” he added.
The exemption applies to key areas associated with commercial growth in the area, including Shoreditch, Hoxton, Dalston and Hackney Central.
Sara Kelly, Executive Director at Coadec, argued that the proposals would not benefit first-time buyers and would stifle the growth of the tech hub in an article written for Tech City News in February.
Hackney will continue to be a home for startups
Ana Bradley, Community Manager for Shoreditch Works, a co-working space offering support to growing startups, said: “This is fantastic news because Hackney will continue to be a home for startups. We’re really proud that our community came together to fight this legislation and succeeded. We know it’s not over for other boroughs across London but at least we’ve been able to demonstrate the pitfalls of the proposed planning regulations,” Bradley told Tech City News.
Political reaction from Meg Hillier MP
Meg Hillier, MP for Shoreditch and Hackney South raised the issue in the House of Commons and welcomes what she calls a u-turn by the Government:
“Given the number of visits made by the Prime Minister and Chancellor to tech businesses in Shoreditch it was extraordinary that this part of London was ever included in proposals.”
She also criticised the time wasted on the fortnight-long consultation which led to the Department of Communities and Local Government back into line:
“This is another example of Government on the hoof – make an announcement and then back track. A more measured, and evidence based approach to policy would have taken Shoreditch and south Hackney’s office space off the permitted development map from the beginning.”
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