Tower Hamlets Council's Development Committee has granted planning permission for a new housing development at Tomlinson Close, despite objections from residents regarding the loss of local amenities and impacts on daylight and sunlight.
The decision, made by a majority vote of five in favour with two abstentions, will see the demolition of the existing two-storey residential block at 2-20 Tomlinson Close to make way for a new five-storey building. A second six-storey building will be constructed on land currently occupied by a ball court, garages, and allotments.
The development will deliver 55 new homes, with 33 designated as affordable homes at social rent levels. This represents a significant increase in affordable housing provision compared to the existing 10 homes on the site. The plans also include 22 market homes and seven wheelchair-accessible dwellings within the affordable housing provision.
Arguments in favour of the development highlighted the substantial increase in affordable housing and the regeneration benefits for the estate. However, objectors raised concerns about the loss of a multi-use games area (MUGA), reduced food-growing space, and potential impacts on daylight and sunlight for neighbouring properties.
The committee heard that the loss of the MUGA would be mitigated by a £90,000 financial contribution towards improvements at the existing sports facility located at the junction of Brick Lane and Shacklewell Street. These improvements include introducing an internal boundary fence to separate the football pitch/general area from the basketball court, potentially introducing a new gate, and enhancing the greening of the area.
New play space for younger children would be provided, but concerns were raised about the lack of provision for older children. To address this, a financial contribution of £28,680 for play space will be secured through the Section 106 agreement, specifically for older children not catered for within the proposal.
Design and heritage considerations were also discussed, with officers acknowledging some harm to the setting of the Redchurch Street conservation area due to the increased scale of the new buildings. However, they concluded that this harm was outweighed by the substantial public benefits of the scheme. The harm to the setting of the Redchurch Street conservation area is acknowledged as being at the lower end of the scale. Mitigation measures include the proposed five-storey building occupying a broadly comparable footprint to the existing building, maintaining a setback from Padbury Court, incorporating a recessed upper storey, and utilising a material palette and architectural detailing intended to respond to the surrounding townscape context.
Neighbouring residents expressed concerns about reduced daylight and sunlight, with assessments indicating that some windows and rooms would experience reductions beyond BRE guideline levels. The BRE guidance for daylight suggests that a Vertical Sky Component (VSC) reduction of over 20% and a No Sky Line (NSL) reduction of over 20% may be noticeable. For sunlight, a reduction below 25% of Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (APSH) for living rooms, or below 5% for winter sunlight, is considered noticeable. The assessment identified that some windows and rooms would experience reductions beyond these thresholds, with impacts classified as minor adverse to major adverse. For example, at 53, 49, and 57 Tomlinson Close, daylight impacts were assessed as moderate to major adverse. At 31-35 Kirton Gardens, five gardens would experience major adverse impacts regarding sunlight reduction.
In response to resident concerns, the applicant committed to reconfiguring the space and retaining 37 food-growing plots, although the overall growing area would be reduced.
The demolition of properties at 2 to 20 Tomlinson Close will not commence until Building 2 has been completed and is ready for occupation. This phasing is intended to manage the decant process for existing residents.
The decision was made subject to planning conditions and the completion of a Section 106 agreement, which will secure financial contributions towards local infrastructure and improvements to off-site sports facilities. The Section 106 agreement will fund £90,000 towards improvements for the sports facility at Brick Lane and Shacklewell Street, and £28,680 for play for older children.