Residents in last-gasp effort to save old Mecca Bingo hall

Protest: local residents outside the building. Photograph: HRRG

A group of disgruntled residents has accused the council of ignoring objections over plans to tear down the derelict Mecca Bingo venue on Hackney Road.

In 2014, developer Hackney Property Holdings (HPH) paid £4.5 million for the historic building, which it wants to rip down and replace with offices and high-end flats.

Hackney Road Residents’ Group (HRRG) wrote to planning committee chair Cllr Vincent Stops last week, stating: “While the public’s feedback has been duly recorded, officers have not taken any of the objections into account, in the significant amount of work they have done with the developers on designing the project and in their recommendation to approve the scheme.”

A flat ‘No’: demonstrators want the council to reject the plans. Photograph: HRRG

In April, the bingo hall won a brief reprieve when the council’s planning committee postponed a decision on its future, saying HPH’s designs needed more work.

But councillors are due to make up their minds today, with planning officers recommending the proposals be waved through.

Residents were joined by bingo buffs as they staged a demonstration at the site yesterday, calling for HPH’s proposals to be rejected.

HRRG’s letter to Cllr Stops continued: “The ‘close involvement’ of the planning department in this application causes us to question whether it can be impartial in presenting the case.”

Residents also criticised the Town Hall for settling for 20 per cent affordable housing as part of the new designs – significantly less than its target of 50 per cent – and for “seeking to placate” them with a £50,000 one-off payment from the developers towards the running costs of a local community hall.

HRRG member Simon Chambers said: “The planning department have not conducted the public consultation in a democratic or transparent way, and have failed to adhere to their own procedures. They have recommended that the committee pass the planning application before the end date of the consultation period. This makes a mockery of the public consultation as they are not taking our views in to account.

“They have also failed to inform the public about the consultation and made it difficult for us to get hold of the relevant documents. We have made an official complaint about the way the planning department have behaved.”

Kim Wright, Group Director for Neighbourhoods and Housing, said: “Whilst we note the concerns regarding consultation, the Local Planning Authority believe they have fulfilled their statutory obligation to consult on this application. A full consultation was undertaken in October 2016 and another 14 day re-consultation took place in May 2017 for the amended scheme. The Local Planning Authority continues to accept and review any further comments received ahead of this evening’s meeting, and in advance of any decision being made.

“As with all major developments, Government guidance is to negotiate with applicants, in this case Hawkins Brown Architects and DP9 Planning Consultants. As is the norm with developments of this scale and impact, there has been an extensive pre-application process, design review panel meetings, design workshops and viability assessments. In this case, as with a number of similar cases, Planning Officers have secured considerable improvements and amendments to the proposed development over a period of several months, in design terms and increases in affordable housing. Officers consider that all relevant policies in the Council’s Development Plan have been satisfied – and this has formed the basis of the recommendation to Members.”

Update: this article was amended at 10.31am on Tuesday 6 June 2017 to include a comment from Kim Wright.