Hackney Council set to give go-ahead to Sainsbury’s Stoke Newington superstore
Sainsbury's: Destination Stoke Newington? Photograph: Graham Richardson
Revised plans for the controversial Sainsbury’s Wilmer Place development in Stoke Newington have been recommended for approval despite concerns from many local residents and environmentalists.
The application is due to debated by members of the planning sub-committee on Wednesday 3 April at 6:30pm in Hackney Town Hall.
If given the go-ahead a giant Sainsbury’s supermarket coupled with 68 new flats will be built in the middle of a conservation area that campaigners says will encroach on and potentially damage the historic site which dates back to 1840.
Critics of the plan say Hackney Council is fully aware of the importance and historic value of Abney Park Cemetery, not to mention its environmental significance, which makes the proposals all the more baffling.
Campaign group Stokey Local is encouraging concerned residents to attend the planning committee’s meeting.
The group, which has has been running a petition opposing the development, said in a statement: “The recommendation for approval is largely due to a ‘value judgement’ that the benefits of the development outweigh the negative impacts.
“Consequently, the councillors on the [planning] committee, having considered all the relevant facts, can quite legitimately come to a different view: i.e. that the negligible benefits of the development do not outweigh the significant negative impacts. This is what we are hoping they will do.
“The ‘easy’ thing for the councillors on the committee to do is to ‘nod through’ the application on the basis of the officer’s report. We are asking them to be brave and exercise their own judgement and reject the application.
“It is very important that we show the councillors that if they make the right decision it is one that is widely supported by the community. The petition is one way in which we can show that support, a further way is for us to attend the committee on Wednesday evening.
“We are asking people to attend and observe the proceedings of the committee. This is not a ‘lobby’ or a protest, but citizens showing an active interest in the committee reaching a decision that is both compliant with planning rules and meets the needs of the community. We are seeking to encourage the Councillors to exercise their own judgement, it will be easier for them to do that if they know the community cares deeply about the issues.”
In describing the cemetery the council says: “The site was formerly one of the magnificent seven garden cemeteries of London. It is now managed as a nature reserve and provides one of the most important wildlife sites in Hackney.
“The cemetery was designated as a local nature reserve in 1993 because of its value for people and wildlife. It is also a metropolitan site of importance for nature conservation, meaning that it is one of the most important nature sites in London.
“It is home to a fantastic collection of trees because it was originally laid out around 1840 as a labeled tree collection (arboretum). The tree collection and the more recently developed woodland areas provide habitat for wildlife including birds, insects and fungi.”
According to the councils own Core Strategy, Policy 25: “All development should make a positive contribution to the character of Hackney’s historic and built environment.
“This includes identifying, conserving and enhancing the historic significance of the borough’s designated heritage assets, their setting and where appropriate the wider historic environment.”
The Stoke Newington Conservation Area Advisory Committee (SNCAAC) reaffirmed these facts: “This site lies in the centre of the Stoke Newington conservation area and is bounded by conservation area on all sides.
“On one side lies Abney Park Cemetery, a unique open space and public resource of great value to and much appreciated by local residents in the borough as a whole.
“The cemetery is an important resource for the whole borough and its protection is of the first importance.”
Speaking of the new proposals a spokesperson for the Stoke Newington Conservation Area Advisory Committee said: “We continue to believe that this application, if successful, would be seriously and substantially detrimental to the conservation area and should be refused.
“We would argue that any retail development of this size, is inappropriate for the conservation area. A conservation area is more than buildings.
‘The character of the conservation area depends on the number and type of shops which typically are single fronted, independently owned convenience and speciality shops. A large supermarket would undoubtedly upset the current centre of gravity with the risk of urban blight.
“A conservation area is also, if it is to work, an expression of a local community. The very strong opposition to the proposed supermarket is therefore worrying.”
Meanwhile the developer claims the plan will bring benefits such as:
- regenerate an under-utilised site on the high street
- provide a car-free development and improved servicing arrangements
- provide new homes, including a mix of affordable and family homes
- allow for an improved relationship between the site and Abney Park Cemetery
- create of up to 150 full time and part time jobs
- improve the site’s biodiversity
The plans have been controversial since their inception when PR company Four Communications was criticised over the initial consultation process it held, which was described by those opposing the development as ‘flawed”.
Residents also raised concerns at the time regarding local councillor Karen Alcock who worked for Four Communications was employed by the company since at least 2005.
As councillor for Stoke Newington’s Clissold ward, Cllr Alcock is one of the elected representatives whose constituents are most directly affected by the Sainsbury’s development plan.
In a statement Four Communications has said that the company and its political consultants adhere to the Association for Professional Political Consultants code of conduct.