Four slow deaths on Ashwin Street. And a burial.

As we reported last week, after decades of squatting and then dereliction, Hackney are now hell bent on demolishing rather than retaining anything of its four charming old houses at 2-8 Ashwin Street.

This is how the facades of 2-8 Ashwin Street looked in 2003, after 20 years of Hackney ownership.

Following extensive public consultation last summer, in which OPEN led a detailed community response, Hackney's draft Dalston Area Action Plan acknowledged the importance of the old houses to the Ashwin Street Character Area.

This is what the Plan says:
Development at 2 – 8 Ashwin Street: Any redevelopment and/or refurbishment of Nos. 2 – 8 Ashwin Street is encouraged to consider the retention of the existing buildings and/or existing building façade. However, if full or partial retention is not viable, and is clearly demonstrated that demolition is the only practicable option, its removal will be considered as part of any proposals to develop the properties for a landmark exemplar building that will contribute positively to the character of Ashwin Street and Dalston Park.

So why is demolition proceeding now? Particularly when it is not part of any proposal for a "landmark exemplar building" to replace the old houses?

This is how 2-8 Ashwin Street looked today with demolition well under way

OPEN has now heard back from Hackney's solicitor who informs that the decision to demolish was made by it's Chief Executive "to maintain public safety" following "police reports". The houses have fallen into a dangerous condition.

We have also received a copy of Hackney's recent structural engineer's report following an external inspection. His report commented on distortion to the front walls of the houses, worsened by fire damage, and that "to ascertain the exact extent of wall sections worth retaining, would require a full... survey". But, it appears, no such full survey was undertaken. Hackney has refused OPEN's specialist engineer access to provide a second opinion. Hackney are proceeding to demolish the lot.

Ashwin Street on the morning when Number 8 was gutted by fire on 31.7.08 . The facades of the old houses frame the view of the locally listed Reeves Printhouse.

Where a building has become unsafe due to dereliction there is an exception to an owner's right to demolish. It is designed to prevent the mischief of owners using their own neglect or vandalism as an excuse to demolish residential houses without planning control. In those cases the owner must apply for full planning permission - unless it can show the building can not practicably be made safe or temporarily supported.

In the present case there already is shoring supporting the houses. And Hackney's engineer has described what would be needed to retain part and rebuild the remainder of the houses' facades. But no advice was given about what is needed to make the houses safe. But, despite ignoring that requirement, Hackney claim there is no need to apply for planning permission to demolish them.

2 Ashwin Street today, half demolished, with a glimpse of the Dalston Lane Peace Mural in the background.

Regular readers of this blog may now be experiencing of sense of deja vu. When Hackney sought to justify demolition of Dalston's circus buildings and locally listed Georgian houses in 2005 it also referred to fires (whereas there had been none), that its surveyors had inspected all the buildings (which they had not), that they were all beyond repair (which they were not) and that they did not need planning permission to demolish them (but a High Court Judge agreed with OPEN that they did).

But then Hackney went on to grant itself planning permission and destroyed them anyway. And now Ashwin Street follows on.

If you believe what Hackney says of itself ("We are the champions of the historic environment") then why is Building Design magazine this week publishing accusations by national and local amenity societies of Hackney's "cultural vandalism" ?

The former site of Dalston's Circus and Georgian houses destroyed by Hackney Council with the approval and agreement of Transport for London, the London Development Agency, the Greater London Authority and the Secretary of State, to fund Dalston's £40million bus stop.

The Vandals: an eastern Germanic tribe which earned notoriety by sacking Rome in the 5th century but which was defeated by the Goths.
Vandalism: the gratuitous anti-social destruction of the environment and artistic creations.
Municipal vandalism: the destruction of our cultural heritage by corporate ignorance, deliberate neglect, vanity and greed all in the name of progress.

How did it happen?
Read the posting "The story that was never told" for a more detailed history.

Hackney recommends private sector carve up of Dalston's "Cultural Quarter"

Tonight Hackney's Mayor and Cabinet will consider a report recommending that all decisions regarding selling off three sites in Dalston's "Cultural Quarter" to the private sector, should be delegated entirely to Council officers.  If approved, it means that the elected  Mayor and Councillor's will have no further say on any of the private deals reached and whether the public's interest has been properly secured.

Part of the former Tyer & Co railway engineering works at the back of the 10-14 Ashwin Street houses

As previously explained here,  the sites for sale comprise the three houses and the rear railway engineering works at 10-14 Ashwin St. In addition there are two vacant plots for development to be sold seperately or along with 10-14 Ashwin Street  - one at 2-8 Ashwin Street which Hackney demolished in 2010 and the second at 3-7 Ashwin St which was destroyed by bombs in World War II. Will there be a Council officer/private sector carve up of these sites without any democratic scrutiny?

 

Middle section of the former Tyer & Co railway engineering works at the back of the three houses at 10-14 Ashwin Street                        

The whole site at 10-14 Ashwin Street was purchased, in Hackney's name in 1985, with government grants and private charitable donations raised by the community educational charity Pyramid Arts Development Company Limited. Pyramid's aims were to encourage the arts including drama, ballet, music, singing, literature, sculpture and painting. It had a stellar line-up of creative people involved but sadly in 1994 financial difficulties forced its closure. (I'm told Hackney refused Pyramid a licence for live perfomance and a bar, so it became financially unviable Ed.). Since 2005 the buildings have been managed as artists studios by V22

Rear section of the former Tyer & Co railway engineering works overlooking the Eastern Curve Garden 

The UKGov grant to help purchase 10-14 Ashwin Street was intended to promote the arts for public benefit, and particularly to benefit the Black Community, not Hackney Council. But the report says Hackney will use the sale proceeds, not to promote the arts for public benefit, but "to bolster the financial resources allocated to projects within the Council's capital programme." It's Equality Impact Assessment states "No negative impacts have been identified as a result of this proposal". ( Hmmmm...As Hackney's Dudley Dryden said to me, when Hackney abandoned agreed plans for a Windrush African-Carribean Centre, "Even what they have will be taken away". Ed.)

Hackney is reported to have spent around £800,000 on doing major structural works and health and safety repairs to the engineering works over the last two years. But, just when its up for sale, Council officers are saying it's now unsafe, everyone must get out, and they are recommending purchasing £63,000 protective scaffolding to catch bits falling off the building.  Did the £800,000 come from Hackney's capital programme which now needs "bolstering". (Is the building more dangerous now than before Hackney spent a fortune on it? Ed.)

Also on the 10-14 Ashwin Street land is the Eastern Curve Garden's only indoor space -  its Hothouse meeting place, its office and a WC. The Council report speculates that "subject to survey and further ongoing investigations, to consider carving out this section" from the land to be sold. How will elected members ensure that the Garden's needs are protected if the private sector deal is left entirely to Council officers? There will be no democratic scrutiny or oversight.

The facades of Edwin Horner's three houses at 10-14 Ashwin Street which have been managed for promoting the creative arts since 1985.

10-14 Ashwin Street are townscape buildings within the Conservation Area and are locally listed as of special importance. The frontage 1870 houses were designed by notable Victorian railway architect Edwin Horne and the 1862 rear railway engineering works was where Tyer & Co produced their patented railway signalling system which was adopted thoughout England and in France.

  

Removal of the shabby white paint will reveal details on the facades including coloured brickwork banding, decorative stonework and barely twist metal columns

These buildings have been independently assessed by expert consultants to have HIGH industrial and architectural heritage value. Planning policies are in place which seek to protect historic architecture and creative uses but, if the site is acquired by mammonists, we can expect endless battles ahead trying to save our local cultural heritage

Local solicitor and founder of OPEN Dalston, Bill Parry-Davies, has written to Hackney's Cabinet raising these points and asking that his letter be given appropriate consideration. If you too have concerns, you can write to the Mayor of Hackney as well by emailing mayor@hackney.gov.uk

TfL reject "small green oasis in the heart of Dalston"

There is no public green space and virtually no affordable housing planned in a major gated community scheme for which Taylor Wimpey/TfL (Transport for London) have now applied to Hackney Council for planning permission.

TfL's plan to "green up" Dalston is limited to planting some street trees. This image is from their planning application documents.

The Taylor Wimpey/TfL application is, as previously reported, to develop two sites fronting Kingsland High Street just north of Dalston Junction. The Southern site is on the east side of the High Street adjoining Ashwin Street. The Northern site is on the west side adjoining Boleyn Road.

Developer's image of the 8-storey Boleyn Road northern site. It will have 59 flats and 850sq m ground floor commercial uses

There will 108 new flats across both sites,with ground floor shops bars and offices, but only 10 flats will be for "affordable" social rent. The rest will be for sale. The railway sites are public land owned by TfL,which is an agency of the Greater London Authority whose policy target (like Hackney's) is to achieve 50% affordable housing.

The Council's public consultation officially closes on 20th December. The Planning Committee decision is expected in early January or February. You can see the planning application documents here and make comments here

The Northern site block will be 8 storeys. The buildings surrounding it are 3 and 4 storeys

Since April we have been suggesting that small parts of the development sites should include pockets of managed green public space, to create a "green route" north from Dalston Lane up Boleyn Road towards Butterfield Green and Clissold Park.
Hackney's award winning social enterprise Growing Communities, and Grow Cook Eat which manages the award winning Eastern Curve Garden, have both welcomed the idea and say our scheme for "small green oasis in the heart of Dalston" is viable.
Taylor Wimpey acknowledge the public support for the idea but have told us that "the only viable opportunity for open green space will be that used by the residents and guests of the proposed scheme". So, very little public benefit is planned for this development.

Shanghai is in a Grade2 listed building and is part of an exquisite 1902 terrace on the High Street next to the northern site

TfL/Taylor Wimpey say that creating "open space would not be compliant with the Dalston Area Action Plan (DAAP)" but in fact the Council's design guidance for the sites states that "new and improved areas of green open space and/or public realm will be encouraged".
Contrary to the DAAP guideline for 4-6 storeys on the sites TfL/Taylor Wimpey are packing an 8-storey building onto the northern site and the scale of it will dominate this 1902 historic terrace. It will overshadow it to such an extent that, according to TfL's own consultants "there will not be acceptable sunlight access to the buildings". Even the design for their private amenity space within the gated development "does not provide adequate daylight according to the garden and open space sunlight assessment".

This developers' illustration shows the shadow effect of the 2 developments in summer - when the sun is at its highest.

On the southern site TfL propose a 6-storey continuous terrace which will block sunlight and views from the High Street of the Ashwin Street locally listed Reeves Printhouse and Colourworks building and the Shiloh Church.

Developers illustration of the southern, Ashwin Street, site. It will have 49 flats and 750 sq m of commercial uses including retail, cafes and bars.

To service the commercial uses Ashwin Street will become a "shared space" for pedestrians and HGV delivery/waste collection vehicles. Some windows of Reeves Printhouse, presently used by Arcola Theatre, will lose over 25% of their light and the outdoor seating areas in front of Cafe Oto will also become significantly overshadowed.

This developers' illustration shows how Ashwin Street will be enclosed by the 6-storey development where once there were 2-3 storey buildings. The scene is late morning before the shadows lengthen. Afternoon & evening sunlight, and views, from the west will be blocked.

Consultants recommend high sound insulation for the flats, due to the railway and High Street traffic noise and so, they say, noise from performances and punters in the Ashwin Street creative hub shouldn't be a problem for new residents. (I hope they don't need to leave their windows open or sit out on the balconies. Ed),

TfL schemes are not noted for prioritising design excellence. TfL's Dalston Square development is creating, as predicted, a hard landscaped, overshadowed, wind-tunnel in the canyon between the tower blocks. The development resulted in the loss of historic Dalston Theatre and locally listed Georgian houses. Experience does not fill us with confidence in TfL's current proposals.

OPEN Dalston urges all of Dalston's community to consider the current planning application carefully. We will report more details as they emerge. Think of the needs of our future generations, as well as your own needs, before you send your comments to the Council

Boris is coming! Quick!! Demolish Old Dalston

OPEN has learned from demolition contractors on site that four old houses at 2- 8 Ashwin Street must be pulled down and levelled by 5th June because Boris is coming.

2 Ashwin Street - the ninth "opportunity site" to burn down in Dalston in recent years. A squatter threw himself from an upper floor, during the fire on 31.7.08, with tragic consequences.

Hackney has owned the terrace of charming old houses since the 1980s. But it has never maintained or repaired them. It says that their condition has now become so dangerous they must be demolished immediately. There is no time to even consult the public or get planning permission to demolish them.

So the timing of the demolitions, by 5th June, is apparently nothing to do with the Council's "Dalston Connected" street party on Sunday 6th June to take place in Ashwin Street. This PR event is to celebrate the Dalston Junction overground station re-opening and Dalston's new £40million Olympic bus stop. Boris is to be the guest of honour.

2-8 Ashwin Street front walls were shored up after the fire, to stablise them, over 12 months ago. But the rear walls got no such protection.

In the Council's various public consultations since 2005 onwards our community has expressed a clear preference for re-use of the historic Ashwin Street old houses. Re-use is sustainable and would preserve the human scale and character of Dalston.

OPEN, Arcola Theatre and other community groups sent a deputation to Hackney's Mayor, Jules Pipe, on 26th October 2009. His Cabinet agreed "to defer demolition subject to further survey and discussion with interested parties, to determine the feasibility of retention". But there's been no such discussion and Hackney has refused to supply the survey report.

But at the same Cabinet meeting, OPEN has discovered, the Cabinet also agreed "that the Council lets the contract for the demolition to Clifford Devlin for the sum of £170K".

And over the same period the Council has also been buying up other sites in Ashwin Street, one at over market value, for redevelopment "as a natural progession of the Dalston Square development to the south" .

Looking north at 2-8 Ashwin Street and Barratt's Dalston Square towerblocks under construction

OPEN solicitors have written to the Council demanding to know why the buildings suddenly have to be demolished by 5th June and why no planning application is first to be made and the public consulted.

We are grateful for the research assistance of Loving Dalston, the independent Hackney news site.

Why is Hackney still not protecting Dalston Junction's heritage buildings at risk?

Good and bad news this week. Hackney Council have finally recognised the heritage value of buildings in the Kingsland High Street area and its side streets. It is proposing a new Dalston Conservation Area extending from Tottenham Road up to Somerford Grove/Princess May school further north (see map here).

Hackney also propose extending the Albion Square Conservation Area to include No.1 Albion Drive and Queensbridge Infants School

But why has Hackney chosen to ignore the equally worthy, and much loved, heritage buildings on the east side of Dalston Junction which will have no conservation area protection at all and so remain at risk?

Included in the new Conservation Area: Nos. 37- 49 Kingsland High Street (including the Kingsland pub) "The detailing and variety of elevational treatment of this terrace make it one of the most interesting architecturally in the new conservation area" Dr Robey

The heritage assessment, undertaken by the erudite Dr Ann Robey, recognises the wonderfully diverse range of periods, styles, detailing and occupancy of the Kingsland area buildings. Protection by Conservation Area status is long overdue and is to be welcomed. You can see and comment on the proposals here and email your views to consultation@hackney.gov.uk with ‘Dalston’ in the subject line.

But when you make your views known to Hackney bear in mind that many of Dalston's much loved heritage buildings have been left out of  the proposals. See more below. Make sure you tell Hackney if you want the omitted buildings to have conservation area protection too.

Excluded from Conservation Area protection:  the classic and well preserved 1865  Railway Tavern on the corner of Ashwin Street. Hackney purchased it quite recently "as a natural progession of the Dalston Square development" ( That sounds ominous! Ed)

Readers will recall that in December 2012 we published "Leaked report calls for Dalston's environemntal protection". The leaked report, commissioned by the GLA's Design for London, made a strong recommendation, which Hackney considered in 2013 but has not implemented. It was that the Dalston Lane (West) Conservation Area be extended to afford protection to the equally worthy surviving heritage buildings east of Dalston Junction.

Excluded from Conservation Area protection: Reeves Colourworks and Printhouse in Ashwin Street - presently home to Bootstrap Company, Cafe Oto, Arcola Theatre and numerous independent businesses. 

Owners can, without planning permission, demolish any non-residential buildings unless they are listed or in a Conservation Area. You may find it unthinkable that Hackney would want to see these buildings demolished, but Dalston is under considerable re-development pressure and Hackney has yet to explain why they haven't been given conservation area protection. Is there another plan for them?

Excluded from Conservation Area protection: the iconic Dalston Peace Mural is painted on the end wall of 15 Dalston Lane at the entrance to the Eastern Curve Garden. The GLA's 2012 heritage report recommended that the mural and the Garden both be included in an extended Dalston Lane (West) Conservation Area.  The Garden is planned as a "shopping circuit" if the Kingsland Shopping Centre is re-developed.

Excluded from Conservation Area protection: the well used  Pentecostal 'Shiloh Church' in Ashwin Street was originally built in 1871 as a Baptists' Chapel. 

Conservation Area status means that any development locally must be shown to "preserve and enhance" the area of character. This gives the Planning Authority greater control over inappropriate development and alterations which adversely affect notable  buildings and their settings.  Conservation Area protection requires consideration of the value of  local heritage for future generations. (Dalston's experience hitherto suggests that this requirement is more often observed by its breach  Ed.) 

Excluded from Conservation Area protection: 14-16 Ashwin Street - home to V22 Gallery and artists' studios. Hackney demolished the remaining houses in the terrace without planning permission. The possibility of demolishing and redeveloping all of Ashwin Street had been suggested and has not been ruled out. 

The overbearing Hackney/TfL "Western Curve" partnership scheme with Taylor Wimpey, and the Kingsland 15-storey tower, now under construction will cause severe loss of sunlight, and damage to the settings, of several local heritage buildings like Reeves Colourworks, Grade II listed Shanghai and the fine Nat West bank building at 74/76 Kingsland High Street. If the new Dalston Conservation Area had been approved before planning permission was granted, the damage might have been prevented.( The new Dalston Conservation Area  has been delayed since 2012, during which time those schemes were granted permission. Ed.)  

Excluded from Conservation Area protection: 1902 Springfield House in Tyssen Street, off Dalston Lane. There is a major development site, planned as a high-rise block of flats, on the adjoining Thames House site which could damage the setting and sunlight to this heritage building. Conservation Area status could help protect it. 

Excluded from Conservation Area protection: 16-22 Dalston Lane ( corner with Beechwood Road)  were earmarked for demolition in an early draft of Dalston Area Action Plan. If the current demolition of Daston Lane Terrace continues these would be the last surviving pairs of  Dalston Lane's original 1807 Georgian houses. They deserve protection  

Email your views about the new Dalston Conservation Area to Hackney at consultation@hackney.gov.uk with ‘Dalston’ in the subject line. Make sure you tell Hackney if you want the omitted buildings to have conservation area protection.So much of Dalston Junction's heritage and character is being replaced by bland corporatism  in the name of "regeneration".

Dalston's "Creative Quarter" and community Eastern Curve Garden are again officially at risk

On 24 March Hackney's Cabinet will be considering the sale of some family silver - sites it owns in Dalston's "Cultural Quarter". The sites include 10 -14 Ashwin Street, townscape buildings which are locally listed and in the Conservation Area. They are currently providing affordable studios for 30-40 artists and have a long cultural legacy, including performance arts, since the 1980s. The site also includes the Eastern Curve Garden's only indoor space - its "Hothouse" meeting place, office and toilet. How will the Garden survive if it loses those, on top of having a redevelopment site next door?

Cash strapped Hackney is said to be seeking a sales valuation based on demolition of the buildings and re-development as luxury flats. It has already said that all the artist tenants must leave by 1st April, because the buildings have suddenly become 'too unsafe' to remain. The Eastern Curve Garden is also partly on the site so a future purchaser could decide its Hothouse and facilities have to go too. 

The sell-off is part of a plan to privatise Dalston's "Cultural Quarter"sites first revealed in 2018. The buildings have a rich legacy of cultural and community benefit, but this has yet to be appropriately valued by Hackney. Responding to community outcry in 2018, Hackney's previous Mayor appeared concerned to ensure that preservation of the local heritage, culture, community benefit and affordable workspaces was fully considered. ( What has changed...will the new Mayor feel the same way? Ed.)

10 -14 Ashwin Street was designed by the eminent Victorian architect Edwin Horne in 1870. The frontages have decorative brick, stone and iron work detailing although these are presently disfigured by shabby white paint. Edwin Horne's other houses in Ashwin Street were demolished by World War II bombs and in 2010 by Hackney Council. He also designed the Reeves and Son Artists Colourworks at 18-22 Ashwin Street and the stations at Hackney Central and Grade II Listed Camden Road.

To the rear of 14 Ashwin St is the former engineering works of Tyer & Co who, in 1852, invented the railway signalling system which was adopted throughout the UK and in France. Consultants, instructed by Hackney, reported that this former factory is of HIGH historic value as forming  part of Hackney's industrial legacy.

Entrance to Ashwin St. off Dalston Lane around 1900 - the Railway Tavern's design is also attributed to Edwin Horne

Between 1985 and 1994 the buildings were occupied by the registered charity, Pyramid Arts Development. Pyramid had raised government and charitable grants to buy and renovate the building particularly for the Black community to teach and promote performance arts. The former Government Minster Sir George Young 6th Baronet personally visited to wish them well - as achive film footage reveals. But for some mysterious reason the buildings were bought in the Council's, and not in Pyramid's, name. Hackney seems to think there are now no charitable or other constraints against their sale. 

Pyramid's musicians included the Grammy Award nominee Steve Marshall, Lee 'Scratch' Perry and the American jazz prodigy Clifford Jarvis who mentored many British jazz musicians there. Early participants included internationally acclaimed  Courtney Pine - a founder of the Jazz Warriors.  Also in 1985, Deborah Baddoo MBE opened a dance studio there which focussed on dance and choreography. Since 2005, under V22's ongoing studio management, many eminent visual artists have benefitted from the facilities including Dame Phyllida Barlow DBE RA, Fernando Marques Penteado, Peter Kennard, Fergal Stapleton and others. 

Could Hackney's latest planning policies save the Cultural Quarter from destruction by the mammonists? The recent Hackney Plan 2033 aspires to protect the Eastern Curve Garden and to resist developers seeking to demolish heritage buildings and changing affordable and cultural uses into luxury flats. But the local cultural economy and heritage buildings are fragile. Even if a private developer promised to try and save the facades of 10-14 Ashwin Street, and give its scheme a new cultural gloss, public ownership and the local vibe will be lost. Like the houses of Dalston Terrace which were sold off, demolished and then re-built in "heritage likeness" with no affordable housing at all.

What can you do about this?

You could write to the newly elected  mayor@hackney.gov.uk  to express any concerns which you have. Does 10 - 14 Ashwin St really need to be sold? If so, couldn't there be a binding condition for refurbishment only and for continuing cultural uses? Doesn't obtaining "best value" include valuing existing social and community benefits as part of the reckoning?

This short 2018 film "Dalston Arts 150" reveals Dalston's 150 year long association with the arts and Hackney's original plan to sell off Dalston's Cultural Quarter sites to "maximise capital value and rental revenue for the Council". That plan could now be realised - the privatisation and loss of public cultural spaces.

Friends of Ashwin Street move to secure community benefit on sale of public cultural asset

On Monday 24th March Hackney's Cabinet, as reported here, delegated full authority to its officers to sell a key site in Dalston's 'Cultural Quarter': the land and buildings at 10-16 Ashwin St.  Our architectural and cultural legacy was to be sold for "best consideration", with "no restrictions" on their future uses and with no scrutiny of the final deal by our elected representatives to ensure that the public's interest had been properly secured. (It looked like Dalston's "Cultural Quarter" was being thrown to the wolves! Ed).

10-16 Ashwin St frontages - originally built as three houses in 1870 to designs of noted architect Edwin Horne

The following day, on Tuesday 25th March, a new association called the Friends of Ashwin Street, served an application on the Council nominating 10-16 Ashwin St as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). The stated objective was to ensure that "future uses of the asset shall continue to serve the social interest and well being of the local community as it has done on the past and in particular by the promotion of the creative arts". Signatories of the ACV nomination include current and previous Dalston Ward Councillors, office holders of several Hackney amenity societies as well as a broad section of our local community.  

The former 1862 railway engineering works of Tyer & Co extending behind 10-16 Ashwin St 

V22 London Limited (V22) has been managing the buildings as affordable artists studios for the last 20 years. But its lease had expired and the condition of the buildings, for which Hackney retained responsibility to repair, was precarious, dangerous even. V22 has always enjoyed collaborative relationships with other local cultural enterprises, particularly Cafe Oto and the Eastern Curve Garden. V22 proposed  expansion of those businesses and developing an Ashwin Arts Centre on site and it enlisted their support for V22's offer to purchase the buildings privately from the Council. V22's founding director had also teamed up with Hackney's prominent property whizz Edward Benyon. Their vision looked ambitious, but achievable.

The community's Eastern Curve Garden uses part of 10-16 Ashwin St's land behind the buildings

Hackney's sale of the site seemed inevitable. They buildings "required comprehensive repair, refurbishment and modernisation, at a very substantial cost" which our cash strapped Council could not afford. The Cabinet report noted that the Council was able to sell the buildings to a private buyer and that a discount of up to £2million off their full market value could be offered if the transaction was likely to contribute to economic, social or environmental public benefit eg "In this case ensuring investment in the asset which will benefit the local community." But how could that local community benefit be ensured when Hackney had resolved that it would impose no restrictions on future uses? (V22 told me they had invited Hackney to consider such restrictions, but it had declined. Ed). Was it all to rely only on verbal promises and personal "trust"? What if V22s Directors, or its shareholdings, changed? What if commercial pressures forced a change in V22's priorities or even a sale of the buildings? 

Colourful brick banding, decorative stonework & barley twist columns have been defaced by a layer of shabby white paint

The day following the Friends of Ashwin Street nominating the buildings as an Asset of Community Value, Hackney did a U-Turn. V22 informed the Friends that Hackney was now requiring restrictions by conditions of sale to the following effect:

10-16 Ashwin Street must be used solely and exclusively for the benefit of the local community, and in particular, as workspace and event space for artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and community-focused organisations and initiatives. This restriction shall remain binding on V22 and any subsequent owner for a period of 15 years from the date of purchase and

If V22 sells all or any part of the property, it must repay to Hackney the net profit earned on the sale calculated in the first 5 years from purchase at 75% and then tapering down by 7.5% each year to 0% in year 15

V22 has also agreed with Friends that it will extend the restriction on the uses proposed from 15 to 25 years and, in view of the Friends concern about the need to conserve the architectural as well as the cultural heritage of the site, V22's founder has sent this letter of reassurance to the Friends:

The alternative, to V22 buying the site with these safeguards in place, is uncertainty. If the Friends nomination as an ACV succeeded and it wanted  to ensure permanent community benefit eg by forming a Community Land Trust (CLT) to buy it, there would inevitable be further delay (of up to 6 months), the buildings would be "mothballed", remain uninhabitable, deteriorate and probably be put on the open market. The Friends/CLT bid would then compete with developers who might offer more - as the Council report noted, some developers"might be able to take a longer term view" about ultimately achieving a more profitable redevelopment ie luxury flats rather than an arts hub.  We've seen before what happens when there's a fire sale of the family silver to the private sector when Hackney was broke.

Hackney's Dalston Lane Georgian terrace, auctioned as one lot to an off-shore company over the heads of the shopkeepers. Fires,  evictions & demolitions  followed. Finally Hackney bought them back, for double the auction sale price, and they were re-built in "heritage likeness".  With no affordable housing at all because, apparently, phoney replicas are so expensive.

The unanimous view expressed by the Friends of Ashwin Street was that, with the sale restrictions and profit repayment being put in place to protect the community's interest , and the local community's (including the Friends) support for V22's Ashwin Arts Centre vision, the ACV application no longer need be pursued. Hackney had suspended purchase negotiations with V22 whilst it was considering the Friend's ACV application. The ACV application has now been withdrawn so that those negotiations with V22 can continue.  

 

Guess who's back. Re-developer returns to Dalston.

This winter scene shows the demolished Western Curve above the tunnels - between Ashwin Street and the High Street in the foreground and, in the distance, the Boleyn Road/High Street junction.

Transport for London, which led the scheme to demolish old historic Dalston and build the Dalston Square tower blocks, is back in Dalston with a new scheme. TfL propose that their partners, Taylor Wimpey, re-develop two of the key town centre sites which were demolished when the tunnels north of Dalston Junction station (towards Canonbury) were renewed. The sites are collectively know as the Western Curve.

The scheme, by architects RMA, is to be presented to the public at Bootstrap's Print House Gallery, 18 Ashwin Street, on Friday 15 June between 4pm and 8pm and on Saturday 16 June between 10am and 1pm. We urge all local people to attend and comment. A planning application is expected later in the year.

The Western Curve sites, which appear in dark purple on this diagram described as the Southern Site and the Northern Site,  are on the north side of Dalston Lane west of Ashwin Street and on the east side of Boleyn Road. Both have extensive High Street frontages.

Reeves Colour Works, which is being refurbished by Arcola Theatre, and Shiloh Church on the Southern Site have an open aspect presently but will be enclosed and concealed by the proposed scheme.

OPEN recently organised a meeting with Taylor Wimpey and RMA Architects to discuss their proposals. Tfl, the landowner, did not attend. It was pointed out that the scheme failed to make provision for any public  open or green space anywhere, that the proposed 15 < 20% of affordable housing does not met the policy target of 50%, that building heights exceeded the Dalston Area Action Plan current policies and would diminsh local heritage assets, that the buildings would enclose Ashwin Street and block light and views of the listed Reeves Colourworks building and Shiloh Church, and would be out of scale with the Boleyn Road buildings.You can read a more detailed critique of the scheme here.

The scheme will abut and dominate this historic 1902 terrace, by the Boleyn Road junction on the Northern Site, which includes Grade 2 listed Cooke's old Eels Pie and Mash shop (now Shanghai) and The Kingsland which English Heritage recently recommended should be listed by Hackney Council.

What is needed is a comprehensive "joined up" plan, which also considers the additional demolition sites in the area which are owned by TfL and Hackney Council and which addresses the issues of public open and green space, rather than the piecemeal approach proposed by TfL.

As mentioned above, the scheme does not comply with present Dalston Area Action Plan (DAAP) policies. The DAAP is to undergo an Examination in Public by a government appointed Inspector on 3rd July at the Town Hall. Both TfL and Taylor Wimpey have made written representations to the Inspector that they should be entitled to exceed the DAAP guidelines on building heights. OPEN has also made representations. You can read all of these here.

We hope that TfL/Taylor Wimpey will improve their plans before making a planning application. You can see and comment on the scheme. See the details below.