Campaigners’ fury as Hackney Council approves Sainsbury’s plans

Protestors unite on a ‘Bug Parade’ against another Sainsbury’s store in Stoke Newington: Photograph: Eleonore de Bonneval

There were angry scenes in the Town Hall as councillors on the planning sub-committee gave the green light to a controversial supermarket scheme today.

Opponents of Newmark Properties’ revised plans for a Sainsbury’s store and new homes in Wilmer Place, Stoke Newington, hissed and heckled speakers in favour of the proposal and shouted “shame on you” at councillors after the application was approved.

The vote was four to one in favour of the application, with the sub-committee’s chair Councillor Vincent Stops among those who voted in favour.

Several councillors had exempted themselves from voting after declaring an interest, and of the five on the panel, only Councillor Barry Buitekant voted against the scheme.

Newmark Properties was already in the process of appealing against the Town Hall’s decision to reject its earlier plans, but the developer pledged not to pursue this if the council rubberstamped the new plans.

Objectors from campaign group Stokey Local said the new plans were little different from the old ones.

The council chamber was packed with hundreds of objectors, some wearing bee costumes left over from a ‘bug parade’ held last week to highlight what objectors say will be the negative impacts the scheme will have on ecology around Abney Park.

Lordship councillor Daniel Stephens and Stoke Newington Central councillor Louisa Thompson spoke against the scheme.

Cllr Thomson said feelings about the development ran extremely high in the area.

She told the sub-committee: “This is the single issue I have received the most correspondence about.”

Newmark Properties maintains the scheme, which also includes the creation of new homes, will bring benefits to Stoke Newington.