Hackney is Yours: Council invites residents to ‘join conversation’ on borough’s future

Hackney residents are being asked to say what they want the borough to look like in 2040, as the council launches a consultation it says will put local people’s voices at the heart of decision-making.

The Hackney is Yours campaign, announced on 14 September, invites everyone in the borough to give their views on Hackney as it is now, and on the changes they would like to see.

The council says the responses will feed into a series of plans at the earliest stage of their development. Among them are a new borough plan, which will set out a vision for Hackney by 2040, and an updated local plan, which will shape development and land use over the next 15 years.

The campaign also promises a new citizens’ assembly, bringing together representative groups from across the borough’s communities, which the council says will give people more power to influence decisions.

Zoë Garbett, the mayor of Hackney, said: “Too many people feel that decisions about how Hackney is run are made without listening to the people impacted by those decisions. We’re changing that.

“There’s a lot to be proud of in Hackney – our communities, our resilience, our creativity.

“But we all see its problems too, such as an extreme housing crisis, a high cost-of-living, and gentrification.

“However you feel about the borough, Hackney is yours, and we need you to help shape its future.”

Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, cabinet member for regeneration, planning and inclusive neighbourhoods, said: “Too often, new buildings and developments are built for developers’ profit, not for the people who live here. Local people feel left out from shaping how their borough works.

“Hackney is Yours will help us work together to develop a new local plan, one that reflects residents’ views and prioritises the affordable homes, workplaces and community space we know they want to see.”

The local plan review is not, however, a new undertaking. LP33, the plan currently in force, was adopted at full council in July 2020 and runs to 2033. Councils are required to review their local plans every five years, and Hackney commissioned the consultancy DAC Planning in August 2024 to carry out that review, which the council needed to complete by July 2025 – work begun under the previous Labour administration.

Surveys

Two surveys are open. The shorter of the two, which the council says takes three minutes, asks what people value about Hackney today, what they would like to see change, and what should be prioritised in future.

A longer survey, of around 10 minutes, asks in more detail how the borough should grow and develop, including how land should be used and where new homes, jobs, services and public spaces are needed.

The council is also running pop-ups and drop-in sessions around the borough, where residents can ask questions about the plans in person.

Details of the campaign, both surveys and the events can be found on the council’s website.