Village Underground fears hotel tower will plunge iconic rooftop into darkness

The Village Underground rooftop. Photograph: Village Underground

A Shoreditch arts and music venue fears plans for a hotel development on the site next door will plunge its rooftop community into darkness.

Village Underground has criticised proposals unveiled by property company Highgate for a 32-storey tower on 201-207 Shoreditch High Street and 1 Fairchild Street, the current site of gay sauna Chariots and retailer Majestic Wine.

The plans are for office space, a boutique hotel as well as possible space for cafes, restaurants and retail. Highgate’s early designs reveal a tower structure built out of a series of blocks.

Critics say the building’s proposed height of 32 storeys is far too high and will tower over the low-lying Shoreditch streets.

Romilly Martin, Managing Director of Village Underground, an arts venue famous for the two tube train carriages perched on its roof, went along to the developers’ public consultation in April.

Martin told the Hackney Citizen that while not generally opposed to development the planned hotel tower is “way out of kilter with the area”. She said: “Progress is good but must be sympathetic to the local environment and be of benefit to the community.

“The planned build from Highgate will be about three times higher than the Tea Building and will dwarf Village Underground, plunging our rooftop community into darkness.”

“We hope that the developers at Highgate will listen to the concerns of the community, collaborate with us and adjust their plans to a more fitting height for the area.”

Andrew Canter, Co-Chair of the Shoreditch Community Association (SCA) said that at the public consultation Highgate seemed “shocked by the depth of dislike for the plans.”

“There was talk of public amenities, green space, but people look past that now, they know that Section 106 agreements [planning obligations agreed by the developer] are a red herring. We hope they will go back to the drawing board.”

Highgate said that since the consultation they had been refining their proposals.

A spokesperson said: “We were delighted that so many people came along to see our early proposals at our public consultation event in April.

“We received a large amount of feedback from attendees, including support for the creative office space, the proposed public spaces within the building and the employment opportunities which will be created.”

A second consultation on the plans will take place in June and Highgate have urged interested residents to attend.

Chariots Shoreditch has not replied to the Hackney Citizen’s request for comment about its future.