Hackney MP Meg Hillier joins judging panel of Kingsland Shopping Centre logo design competition

Kingsland Shopping Centre. Photograph: Criterion Capital

Dame Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, has joined the judging panel of a competition to design a logo for Dalston’s Kingsland Shopping Centre, an initiative run by Criterion Capital, the property company of billionaire landlord Asif Aziz.

A Hackney Council newsletter promoted the contest, describing it as a “key milestone” in the redevelopment of the shopping centre.

The winner will receive £2,000, with four runners-up awarded £500 each. MP Meg Hillier said the contest was about “capturing the story of Dalston” and reflecting its “diversity, ambition and energy.”

On the judging panel: Dame Meg Hillier MP. Photograph: UK Parliament official portrait 2017

She added: “Dalston never stands still – it has a proud heritage, a rich culture, and a community bursting with creativity.

“Kingsland Shopping Centre has been here for decades – and now everyone in Hackney has the chance to reimagine how it represents the Dalston of today and tomorrow.

“I’m delighted to join the judging panel for a competition that isn’t just about designing a logo but also about capturing the story of an area that is constantly evolving whilst also staying true to its roots.”

Criterion Capital has framed the competition as “Dalston’s chance to shape its own visual identity”.

Omar Aziz, a company director, said: “We’re looking for heart, heritage, and creativity. Whether you’re a local student with a sketchbook, a seasoned designer, or simply a Hackney resident who loves this neighbourhood, we want to see your vision of what Kingsland Shopping Centre means to you.”

Dalston development

Earlier this summer, Criterion Capital Ltd lodged a planning application to knock down the eastern third of the Dalston retail complex and erect four multi-storey buildings featuring 254 homes.

But the applicant admitted it will not meet Hackney Council’s affordable housing policy, prompting backlash from the community.

Criterion’s most recent application comes roughly 12 years after it first mooted plans to bulldoze and regenerate the “outdated” shopping centre, of which it is the freeholder.

Campaigners say that far from safeguarding cultural and youth spaces, Criterion Capital has often been accused of hollowing them out.

Criterion Capital’s CEO, Mr Aziz, 57, is a property magnate worth billions, sometimes dubbed “Mr West End” for his portfolio of central London hotels, cinemas and retail.

Controversy

In 2020, The Times asked if he was “Britain’s meanest landlord” in a story reporting on Criterion’s decision to take commercial tenants to court over unpaid rent during the pandemic.

Mr Aziz’s companies have frequently been at the centre of controversy. In Croydon, residents of Delta Point, a converted office block marketed under Criterion Hospitality, a subsidiary of Criterion Capital, told London Centric that their flats were plagued by vermin, faulty plumbing and broken lifts.

One resident said the infestation was so severe that she ended up in A&E with a cockroach in her ear – and only then, after a year of unanswered emails and calls, did the building managers send in pest control.

The company did not offer any response to the outlet regarding residents’ concerns about housing conditions.

Mr Aziz’s record with art and community spaces has also drawn criticism.

Criterion Capital has been in dispute with the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square, where management said the landlord was demanding a break clause that would allow the company to terminate their lease with only six months’ notice, alongside a rent far above market rates.

Campaigners described the move as a threat to the survival of one of London’s most cherished independent cinemas. Mr Aziz’s business practices have come under legal scrutiny too.

In May Mr Aziz’s company, London Trocadero LLP, was ordered to repay tenant Picturehouse Cinemas an amount reportedly above £700,000 over the overcharging of commission on insurance rent at Picturehouse Central. London Trocadero LLP has confirmed it will be appealing the court’s decision.

Council: ‘no involvement’

Hackney Council promoted the Kingsland logo contest in its “Love Hackney” and “Hackney Culture” newsletters.

A Town Hall spokesperson later stressed: “Hackney Council has no involvement in this competition. Information about the paid opportunity for local artists was shared in our newsletters, which we use to signpost to external opportunities that may be of interest to people in Hackney.”

However, MP Meg Hillier’s direct involvement as a judge has raised eyebrows. Opposition councillors argue the initiative amounts to free PR for a developer with a chequered record.

The Citizen approached Meg Hillier’s office for comment on her involvement with the competition, but had not received a reply at the time of publication.

Critical: Dalston councillor Zoë Garbett

Green party councillor Zoë Garbett (Dalston ward) called the contest “a textbook case of corporate exploitation.”

She said: “Why not pay a proper fee for a young Hackney designer to create a logo and then give the designer proper credit? This is particularly insulting coming from one of London’s most infamous property tycoons and billionaires.”

The competition deadline has been extended to 31 October.