Mayor of Hackney slams ‘out of scale’ plans for Bishopsgate Goodsyard

Diagram showing current and alternative proposals for Bishopsgate Goodsyard. Image: Hackney Council

Thousands of jobs could be lost and a shadow cast over Tech City if a 48-storey luxury development of Bishopsgate Goodsyard goes ahead, according to Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe.

Mayor Pipe has launched a campaign to ‘save Shoreditch’ from a £800 million scheme backed by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, for two high-rise towers containing luxury flats on the Bishopsgate Goodsyard site.

The Mayor warns that the towers, proposed by property developers Hammersons and Ballymore, are too big, too close to the road and will compromise the character of Shoreditch and its economic eco-system.

Mayor Pipe said: “These towers would stand almost as tall as One Canada Place at Canary Wharf; that might be OK for the City, but it is completely out of scale for Shoreditch. These luxury flats, which are well beyond the reach of ordinary Londoners, will cast a shadow over the whole of Tech City, and threaten to damage the local, creative economy.

“Luxury accommodation does nothing to help London’s housing crisis and brings no value to Tech City, and we fear that such a major development will strip the area of its character, potentially leading to the dissipation of this growing cluster.”

Mayor Pipe has written to local businesses and residents, urging them to write to the Mayor of London to ask him to withdraw his support for the plans. He has also started a petition, which can be viewed here.

He added: “The repercussions of this development could be so severe that they lead to the fragmentation of the local cluster of design and tech firms, leading to the loss of thousands of local jobs, and damage to London’s reputation as a global leader in these industries.

Plans for a lower-rise, alternative design for Bishopsgate Goodsyard, commissioned by Hackney Council, have been revealed by the Citizen, which sees the controversial towers replaced by an employment-led development featuring ‘layers’ of workspace.