Secretary of State (SoS) Eric Pickles has granted planning permission on appeal for a major mixed-use redevelopment of Poplar Business Park in east London's Docklands following an offer of increased affordable housing provision by the developer.
The scheme will include the construction of three towers ranging up to 22 storeys to comprise 8,104 square metres of business space and 302 flats. They will be set around two landscaped squares.
The proposals by developer Workspace Group were refused by Tower Hamlets Council in June last year because it said the proposed affordable housing provision of 12.5% was inadequate and contrary to local policy.
The SoS granted permission to the scheme on the basis of an alternative offer made by the developer to provide 20% affordable housing. He said in his decision letter (85-page / 485KB PDF) that he agreed with a Planning Inspector's conclusions that, although a 20% provision would give rise to viability concerns, there was "no certainty" that it would prevent the development from being delivered in "the reasonably foreseeable future".
The Inspector had concluded that the "reasonable maximum proportion" of affordable housing was more than 12.5%, leaving the option of accepting the 20% offer. He said that there was a pressing need for affordable housing in the area and that granting planning permission on the basis of the 20% level would enable development to commence, whereas refusing planning permission would "generate further uncertainty and delay".
The Inspector noted that any question of granting permission based on an alternative figure somewhere between 12.5% and 20% misunderstood "the basis upon which an appeal can be made and a Section 106 obligation offered". "Even if I were to speculate that a reasonable figure was to lie somewhere between the two amounts, the appeal can only be decided by reference to what is on offer," he said.
Workspace chief executive officer Jamie Hopkins welcomed Pickles' decision. "It is a significant redevelopment in an area that will be experiencing a lot of change over the coming years with the arrival of Crossrail at Canary Wharf," he said in a statement.
"Poplar Business Park, once redeveloped, will be a thriving residential and business location in the heart of one of London's future hotspots. The redevelopment will also provide a significant boost to both the capital value and rental income of the site and demonstrates our ability to add significant value through asset management," he added.
