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Dear All
Dalston
is facing a tsunami of development applications which will adversely
impact on numerous local heritage assets – former cinemas, factories,
religious buildings and historic buildings and houses having
architectural and cultural significance. New buildings and towers
totally out of scale to the area are proposed on various sites locally.
If you are part of an organisation, or you are a well know public
personality, your assistance is urgently needed. Please read on so I can
briefly explain.
I
have come into possession of a draft report commissioned by Design for
London (DfL) which examines our heritage assets within the Dalston Area
Action Plan area. The Report identifies the need to urgently protect
these heritage assets in the face of local development pressure and it
recommends :
- the designation of the Dalston Kingsland Conservation Area - adding certain buildings to the national statutory list and
- adding certain buildings to the local Council list.
It
points out that locally listed buildings have no statutory protection
absent Conservation Area designation. CA designation is also a
significant consideration where a proposed development affects the
setting of buildings within it.
You can see the DfL draft report here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/
Local
authorities have a statutory duty to consider the need to identify
heritage assets and to designate conservation areas. You may think it
surprising that it is DfL, and not Hackney, which has commissioned a
heritage scoping report for Dalston. Where a local authority has a
conflict of interest eg because it owns or has a financial or
partnership interest in the sites, there are statutory powers reserved
to English Heritage and/or the Secretary of State to designate
conservation areas.
I
consider that Hackney has a conflict of interest in relation to the
Western Curve sites because it has invested over £1million with TfL to
strengthen the slabs above the rail tunnels to enable more intensive
development. The scale of development on these strengthened slabs which
TfL is now proposing will do irreversible damage to Dalston’s historic assets and to the public realm, on both the Northern and the Southern sites of the Western Curve.
I
attach emails which I have sent, to Hackney’s Head of Conservation and
to its Information Officer, to seek clarification regarding Hackney’s
financial interest in the sites and in designating the new proposed
Dalston Kingsland Conservation Area. However I do not think we can
afford to let Hackney proceed at its usual leisurely pace
In
view of the forthcoming planning decision in relation to the Western
Curve sites I propose writing to English Heritage and/or the Secretary
of State to request them as a matter of urgency to :
- designate the new Dalston Kingsland Conservation Area and- to list the buildings identified in the report
If
you are part of a local organisation eg Hackney Society, St Marks CAC,
Kingsland CAC, Dalston Lane (West) CAC, De Beauvoir Association, or
part of a national amenity society, then I would be happy to write on
behalf of your organisation as well because this would add weight to the
application. Please let me know as a matter of urgency whether you
and/or your organisation would like me to do so.
If
you are a well know public figure I would be pleased to add your voice
in support of the application. Again, please let me know urgently
Finally
please note that my proposal is not merely an academic exercise. In
Shoreditch we made similar representations to English Heritage on behalf
of OPEN Shoreditch regarding The Light and the effect of which was
that Hackney
eventually conceded and included it within the CA and the developer,
Hammerson, agreed not to demolish and redevelop the site.
I look forward to your views
Very best
Bill
Dowse & Co
23 -25 Dalston Lane London E8 3DF
DX 46800 Dalston
t 020 7254 6205
f 020 7923 1497
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