Reprieve for Church Street bookshop

Plans to develop a block of buildings on Stoke Newington Church Street have been shelved. The plans, which would have seen the closure of the Church Street Bookshop and the adjacent garage, had angered many local residents.

A planning application for the development of the block into a retail unit and flats was withdrawn amid speculation that the proposals would have been deemed out of keeping with the street, which lies in an official conservation area.

The group Stokey Local, which had been campaigning against the development, hailed the withdrawal of the application: “this is a small victory for everyone who took the time to send in objections to the planning application and proof (if any was needed) that if we speak up loud and strong then our voices can be heard”.

Several previous initiatives to develop Stoke Newington Church Street have met with organised opposition from local residents, including the conversion of the building previously housing the Vortex Jazz Bar into a Nando’s restaurant.