UK Office Space News

Property developer Hammerson were given planning permission this week for the controversial regeneration of Bishops Place.

Hammerson had to revise their plans to include the Light Bar (223 Shoreditch High Street) which it had originally planned to demolish. The regeneration scheme will cover 1.5 million square feet and will include office space, flats and a hotel. Many groups, including English Heritage, are opposed to the 51 storey skyscraper which is included in the £500 million plans. Hackney Council rejected the original plans last July but on Wednesday gave the green light for the new proposals.

The revised scheme will open up a 1.3 hectare site in the heart of London which is currently largely inaccessible to the public. The project includes as many as 7000 high quality offices, retail space, residential areas and 50 affordable housing units.

Local campaign groups, such as OPEN Shoreditch, are angry the council have granted the developers permission because they feel the “monolithic” scheme has been rushed through unnecessarily by the council. They believe it could be another 5 years before the building gets underway.

The head of Hammerson’s London division, Martin Jepson, said; “Bishops Place is an important catalyst for further investment within Hackney.”

Hackney Council sold the site to Hammerson in a multi-million pound deal dependent on the developer getting planning permission.