Thirteen protesters will be hoping for some luck in their campaign to stop luxury flats being built at the Hackney Road bingo hall site.

Ex-players at Mecca, which closed in 2015 and now have to travel to Camden – joined neighbours of the iconic building yesterday to let their feelings known.

The Hackney Road Residents’ Group (HRRG) have been fighting plans to develop the site since it was bought by Jersey-based Hackney Property Holdings LLP (HPH) for £4.5million in 2014, and 123 locals have objected.

But a decision is set to be made today and town hall planners have pencilled in the project for approval.

The HRRG are angry that the council has agreed to only 20 per cent of affordable housing, despite its own target of 50pc.

Member Simon Chambers said: “It is an outrage that the council are not making more effort to meet their own affordable housing targets and are helping the owners of the development, who avoid paying tax by being registered overseas, to get away with making a huge profit.

“Hackney has a huge homelessness problem which the council is turning it back on.”

The group are also preparing to object to the size of the building at today’s meeting, as well as what they say is a lack of proper consultation.

Simon added: “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 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.”

Hackney Council has been contacted for a comment.