Plans approved for new six-storey block which will ‘entirely disrupt the character of the neighbourhood’

Facing demolition: the current Benabo Court building in Ferncliff Road, E8. Photograph: George Nixon / free for use by LDRS partners

Plans to demolish a four-storey block in Hackney have been approved, despite concerns about loss of sunlight and the impact on a nearby family contact centre.

On Wednesday (2 July) the council’s Planning Committee rubber-stamped proposals for a building up to six storeys tall to replace the ageing Benabo Court in central Hackney.

The plans for 72 units of social housing for over-55s would more than double the amount of homes it already provides, while making them more spacious and accessible to meet modern standards.

But local residents living on Amhurst and Sandringham Road nearby pushed back on the plans which would “entirely disrupt the character of the neighbourhood”.

The taller, new building threatens to “dramatically” overshadow their rooms, gardens, and the “beautiful treeline of Victorian houses intrinsically connected to the area”, they said.

On behalf of this group, resident George Nixon said the council failed to properly consult with those affected.

This included the Ferncliff contact centre, a space for supervised visits between parents and their children in care, which the expanded block would be closer to.

“Someone could be sat on their balcony having a cup of coffee in the morning, within a metre and probably in earshot of a really sensitive conversation,” he said. “It’s just crazy this hasn’t been taken into account.”

Despite the application saying a notice was sent to hundreds of people in September, Mr Nixon said neither he or any of his immediate neighbours had received one until 2 February.

“We’ve been entirely ignored,” he said.

The applicant, Anchor Hanover Group, owns over 900 social homes in 30 locations across Hackney.

The developers and planning officers confirmed they had not talked with the people running the family contact centre, but also had not received any complaint or communications from them.

Regarding loss of sunlight and overshadowing, the architects argued their assessment criteria found it would be either “minor” or “negligible”.

They added that “robust” analysis carried out in March identified two of the properties brought up already did not receive any sunlight.

While noting there would be “increased overlooking” from one corner, “most of [Ferncliff] is obscured by the treeline anyway,” the Town Hall’s principal planner Oliver Enticott said.

The local authority also rejected criticisms of its consultation process, and said it had notified 145 households in January, along with issuing notices in the area and the local press.

Hackney’s “critical and desperate need” for specialist affordable housing also “far outweighed” the loss of daylight, the developer’s agent added.

Following the decision, residents Farang and Brian Wren contacted the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) on behalf of the group of locals.

“The report gave more attention to how the development would impact local bats, which was raised six times, compared to Ferncliff’s one brief mention,” they said.

The group also drew attention to Anchor Hanover’s governance rating having been downgraded by the social housing regulator last month.

On 25 June, the watchdog said there was “insufficient evidence” that the developer had a robust and prudent risk and control framework in place.

The regulator added it had not seen enough proof the firm was managing or addressing landlord health and safety risks properly.

Redevelopment works are due to start in early 2026.