Future Shoreditch? Hackney Council wants feedback on its ‘greener, safer, less polluted, more affordable’ vision

Hackney Council is inviting comments on its “progressive” vision for a greener, safer, less polluted and more affordable Shoreditch in 15 years’ time.

The Future Shoreditch consultation document sets out an area action plan for the internationally renowned thriving nightlife destination and home of the Tech City digital hub.

Careful management will have created new homes, business space, jobs and an improved public realm by 2033 according to the draft vision, while at the same time preserving the historic environment, and the area would be “a pioneer for social cohesion between residential and business communities”. The 100-page document has been drawn up on the back of a consultation 10 months ago, and Southwark architect Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners has been appointed as the lead consultant.

The council’s business chief Cllr Guy Nicholson told the Gazette: “We want to use public policy to curate what happens on the ground in Shoreditch. There was real recognition across all the comments we received about the pressures brought about by this rapidly growing economy that we are hosting in Shoreditch.

“On the one hand it’s something to be proud of and it’s certainly recognised across the country and the world, but with that come pressures. By involving as many people as possible in this draft proposal, hopefully we can capture some of the energy that is going into the changing neighbourhood, and I’m sure we will come up with a policy that is progressive, sensitive and sensible.

“If we can pull these threads together in that way, I think we will be at the front of something quite progressive. By that I mean nowhere else that I’m aware of has managed to achieve a place where people live and work side by side, that they prosper and where it becomes a true city neighbourhood.”

Questions include whether you would like to see more office floorspace, retail or genuinely affordable homes in the area, and how best to manage the nighttime economy.

Shoreditch is Hackney’s major employment area, providing more than 40,000 jobs in 4,000 businesses. It also boasts internationally renowned hotels and restaurants and 150 cultural venues, and has a rich theatrical heritage – as well as being home to 7,000 people.

See the consultation at hackney.gov.uk/future-shoreditch.