Plans for the regeneration of Pembury Circus were submitted to Hackney Council in October.
 |
An artist's impression of how the development
might look.
|
The area was once home to two blocks of bedsits and an underground car park, a hotspot for anti-social behaviour, which were demolished in 2005 at the request of local residents.
A Resident Design Panel, made up of members of the Pembury Estate Tenants and Residents Association (PETRA) worked with Peabody to choose a development partner, resulting in the appointment of Bellway Homes.
270 new homes
The proposals include around 270 new homes in total.
-
Around 120 of the total are earmarked for affordable housing.
-
The affordable homes include a proposed 70 for affordable rent (housing around 300 social rent tenants) and 50 for shared ownership.
-
Around 17% of the homes for affordable rent (12 flats) will be for over-50s.
-
About 150 of the total are for private ownership. Comprising a larger number of one and two-bedroom flats and fewer family-sized homes, these make up around 50% of the total residential space.
This replaces the 40 units demolished in 2005, which housed 40 social rent tenants.
As well as new homes, the plans include new community facilities and commercial space to replace the existing community facilities on Hindrey Road and Dalston Lane.
| Existing facilities |
Proposed new facilities |
|
Senior citizens’centre, which includes a kitchen running a small café
IT centre
|
Larger community centre incorporating:
- new IT centre
- purpose-built cafe
- health room
- multi-use space for youth and community activities
Commercial developments including:
- a gym
- nursery and play area
- small supermarket
|
You’ll find more details on the proposals in the information we displayed at our recent exhibition, which you can download in pdf format.
Pembury from 2000 to 2010
The proposals represent the final phase of a programme of regeneration that began when Peabody acquired the Pembury estate from Hackney Council in 2000. Comprising two parts – the old and new estates – Pembury needed major external works and refurbishment, costing more than £75 million to date.
Work included reroofing, replacing windows and doors, brickwork and concrete repairs and new insulation. We replaced and expanded estate lighting, added lifts, new staircases and lobbies, installed new water and electricity mains and rebuilt roads. The extensive internal refurbishment programme exceeded the government’s Decent Homes standard with new kitchens and bathrooms.
Your views
We’ve used a range of methods to consult Pembury residents and local groups, which included exhibitions in August and on November.
A large part of the positive feedback we received at the two exhibitions focused on the scheme’s potential for improving the sense of community in the area and the provision of new facilities. Criticism of the scheme centred on the height of the tower and its consequences for population density and open space.
We’ve collated the comments we received through our exhibitions in August and November, broken down by theme.
We’ve tried to address some of the issues raised through the consultation in a series of questions and answers below.
 |
Top: an artist's impression of the development, seen from Dalston Lane.
Middle: an artist's impression of the new community centre.
Bottom: the route from Pembury Road to Dalston Lane. |
 |
|
 |
|
Next steps
Two outline planning applications have now been submitted to the London Borough of Hackney, one including parking and one without. The applications set out the height and external layout of the buildings – but not details such as materials and internal layout, which will be subject to further resident consultation and local authority approval.
If you’d like to comment on the proposals for Pembury Circus, you can respond to the planning applications through the Hackney Council website. (Application numbers for the Pembury Circus plans are 2010/2603 and 2010/2596.)
If you’d like to discuss the plans with a member of the Peabody development team, please contact Matthew Bird, Development Manager, on 020 7021 4314 or email matthew.bird@peabody.org.uk.
Questions and answers
Can the space on the junction be left as it is?
The site on the corner of Pembury Road and Dalston Lane has been designated for development since before the old blocks were demolished in 2005. The ‘greening’ of the site was only given temporary permission.
Will the new development overshadow my home?
The highest building is the tower on the junction of Pembury Road and Dalston Lane. The buildings surrounding it are lower and are designed to step down in height towards the homes on Tolsford Road. The buildings proposed closest to Tolsford Road are three storeys high, designed to continue the existing row of terraces.
You’ll find a full analysis of how the development affects levels of light and shadow in our two planning applications, which are available on the Hackney Council website.
How many trees will the area lose?
We plan to keep the trees at the front of the site – and we’ll be planting at least as many trees as we have to remove.
Will the development include parking for new residents?
Our original proposal didn’t include additional parking. The availability of spaces on the existing Pembury estate was an issue raised by residents during the consultation. That’s why we’ve submitted two proposals to Hackney Council: one that includes additional parking for new residents and one that doesn’t. In addition, residents of the new development won’t have permission to park on the existing Pembury estate, even if the proposal without parking is accepted.
Won’t the new development result in more traffic?
If there’s any parking on the estate at all, it will be limited. There will be deliveries to commercial units, but these will take place on Dalston Lane, so they won’t affect traffic on the estate.
Housing more people at Pembury will increase the pressure on local services like education and healthcare.
The council will assess the impact the new development is likely to have on local services. The developer will then be asked to make a financial contribution to help cope with the increase in demand. This is called a Section 106 contribution.
About half of the residential development is for the open market, which generates profit. Why isn’t the whole development for affordable housing?
Profit on development is what makes the scheme viable. It generates the capital needed for the rest to be affordable homes. Including a profitable element helps cover planning, design, construction, the community facilities and other costs.
Would the homes for over-50s be affordable or open market properties?
They’d be for affordable rent.
I’ve heard one of the commercial units is to be a betting office. Is that true?
No. Among the details on Hackney Council’s online planning application system, there is a reference to land use. The entry lists the possible uses allowed under a particular use class, one of which is a betting office. That doesn’t mean we’re planning to let it as one. Savills, our agents, have written to Hackney Council to confirm we would accept a condition that prevents the unit from being used as a betting office.
We’d like the commercial units to provide useful amenities for local residents – so we won’t let them to businesses like fast food outlets, pubs or bookmakers.
Is there a risk the new development will increase opportunities for anti-social behaviour?
The plans allow for well lit routes across the estate that are overlooked by the new residents, the community centre and the commercial units. We’ve aimed to reduce the opportunities for anti-social behaviour by improving natural surveillance over public areas.
Will there be any more opportunities for residents to comment on the development?
We’ve used a range of methods to get the input of residents into the outline planning application. Now that the plans have been submitted to Hackney Council, you can still make comments directly to Hackney (see Next steps, above). The outline planning application covers the shape, size and layout of the development. If either of our proposals is accepted, we will also consult residents over things like materials and internal layout.
Also in the news:
Diversity forum focuses on fuel poverty2011 to see solar electricity roll-out
