Tower Hamlets Council's Development Committee has approved a £622,337.34 payment towards affordable housing as part of a planning application for a two-storey roof extension at the Theatre Building, 1 Paton Close.
The committee voted by a majority of four to one to grant planning permission for the development, which will add nine new dwellings to the existing six-storey building. The proposal also includes associated cycle parking, refuse and recycling storage, amenity space, landscaping, and restoration works to the building's façade.
During the meeting on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, councillors heard that the scheme was largely identical to a previous application that had received a resolution to grant in 2021. The 2021 application (PA/20/02101) had been granted by the Development Committee on 8th April 2021. However, a new application was necessary because the previous one was treated as 'finally disposed of' under Article 40(13) of The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015, as the decision period had expired without an appeal. The current application is externally the same as the previously approved scheme, with some minor internal design changes.
Concerns were raised by objectors regarding waste storage, cycle parking accessibility, and the structural integrity of the building. Objectors questioned the building's capacity to support two additional floors, water tanks, and pumps, with one stating: Are the 57 even structurally capable of two extra floors, water tanks and pumps? W&R Buxton Limited Pension Fund doesn't know.
These concerns were addressed by noting that Building Control Regulations, which would cover the structural integrity and safety of the building during and after construction, would be required prior to commencement.
Officers addressed concerns about waste storage by recommending a pre-commencement condition requiring a detailed waste management plan. Regarding cycle parking, while Transport for London (TfL) expressed reservations that the proposed wheeling channel on an existing staircase to access the new cycle parking at the podium level would not be satisfactory, the council's own highways officers deemed the solution acceptable given the site's constraints. TfL stated: As such, at this location the use of a wheeling channel on an existing staircase does not appear to be satisfactory to provide access to proposed new cycle parking.
The site constraints that led the council's highways officers to deem it acceptable were that the applicant does not own or control the existing car parking spaces within the basement, making their repurposing unfeasible. The basement car park is also a constrained environment, and accommodating the required cycle spaces while maintaining safe access proved challenging. The podium level was identified as the most appropriate solution due to being underutilised and providing sufficient space. The council's highways officer concluded that the open staircase with a ramp would allow for acceptable levels of accessibility and usability.
Councillor Iqbal Hossain, who voted against the proposal, cited the lack of on-site affordable housing as a primary reason for her objection, stating it did not align with the Local Plan's prioritization of genuinely affordable housing. The £622,337.34 payment will be secured via a Section 106 agreement. This financial contribution will be used by the council to deliver its own affordable housing initiatives, in line with the council's small sites
policy. For schemes with fewer than 10 units, a financial contribution is made, which the council then uses for its own affordable housing projects. The report states: The proposal would amount to the requirement of £622,337.34 towards affordable housing contribution. This financial obligation would be secured through a s.106 agreement.
The nine new dwellings are intended for market rent, as stated in the report: All units are to be provided by market rent and in line with policy SH1 of the local plan, as the scheme is providing nine new residential units, it is required to provide an affordable housing contribution of £622,337.34p.
More information on the meeting can be found in the Public reports pack for the Development Committee on September 1, 2026.
