Council chief launches petition against ‘damaging’ Government consultation

Campaigning: Andrew Sissons, Head of Regeneration Delivery at Hackney Council. Photograph: twitter

Hackney Council’s Head of Regeneration is urging local businesses to sign a petition against a government consultation, claiming some of its proposals will “wipe out” commercial space in the borough.

Andrew Sissons has launched the petition ‘Eric Pickles MP: Save Hackney Businesses’, calling for a halt to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government’s reforms to permitted development rights.

He has also written emails to “business leaders” in the borough, appealing to them to write to the Secretary of State “to object to the Government’s consultation” suggesting they use a template letter he attached

Permitted development rights are a national grant of planning permission, which allow certain building works and some changes of a building’s use – for example from offices to homes – to be carried out without planning permission.

Certain areas of Hackney deemed to be a “nationally significant area of economic activity”- such as Shoreditch’s Tech city- are currently exempt from permitted development rights.

However, the Government is seeking to remove these exemptions to office-to-homes permitted development rights. It is also aiming to introduce new rights for homes to be created in buildings currently used for light industry, warehousing, launderettes, casinos, nightclubs and amusement arcades.

Brownfield regeneration

The Government argues that the proposed reforms will support the housing market and promote “brownfield regeneration”.

Housing Minister, Brandon Lewis said: “The Government’s change of use reforms are providing badly needed homes, especially in London where there is a particularly acute need for more housing.

“Modern working patterns are changing with mobile technology – and in my own department, we’ve been able to reduce our office space requirements significantly in recent years.

“Our reforms are helping promote brownfield regeneration, protect London’s Green Belt and increase housing supply at no cost to the taxpayer.”

In a letter to Eric Pickles MP, Mr Sissons wrote that should the proposals go ahead, they would seriously impact London’s “significant, but fragile cluster of technology and creative businesses”.

Areas currently exempt from permitted development rights