Residents fear Crossrail 2 will ‘rip heart out’ of Dalston

Under threat: 61-69 Kingsland Road, on the corner of Bradbury Street, would be replaced by the ticket hall entrance. Photograph: Google Streetview

Residents have launched a petition to stop Crossrail 2 from “ripping the heart out” of Bradbury Street in Dalston.

Transport for London (TfL) has earmarked the entire southern side of Bradbury Street for a ticket hall and entrance for the future Dalston Station.

Under the proposals, the buildings surrounding the Kingsland site are at risk of being demolished and redeveloped, including the Railway Tavern – a 1930s art deco-style building – on the corner of Kingsland Road, Bradbury Mews and houses at 48-52 Boleyn Road.

Campaigners have hit out at TfL for targeting Bradbury Street, which is lined with independent businesses, and are urging transport chiefs to consider Kingsland Shopping Centre as an alternative site.

Mark Shaffer runs White Rabbit restaurant, which sits on the south side of Bradbury Street and would be forced out should TfL’s plans go ahead.

“It’s incredibly worrying and upsetting” he said. “TfL has not been transparent about what will happen. They have not sat us down and explained what might happen or whether we might lose our restaurant.

“It seems mad to be attacking Bradbury Street, one of the only streets with boutiques and restaurants that we have in Dalston.”

Transplant

TfL told the Hackney Citizen it might offer statutory compensation to those forced out by their plans. But Mr Shaffer said there are some things time and money can’t buy.

“Restaurants are fragile, you can’t just transplant them. It was blood, sweat and tears that got us this far. It was a whole year’s project to do something like that and a hell of a lot of money,” he said.

“I built that restaurant with my best friend, who I lost last year to leukaemia. There is a lot of history for us in the walls that would be hard to leave behind.”

Andrew Brookfield, a former Bradbury Street resident who started the petition, said displaced people might be priced out of the area. “People have put a lot of time and money into their homes and businesses and might not be able to buy anything similar with money being offered by TfL.”

But Michèle Dix, managing director of Crossrail 2, told the Hackney Citizen: “We want to minimise the impact of our proposals on the local area whilst still delivering this vital new link.

“We have been and will continue to work closely with the London Borough of Hackney to try and reduce the local impact as well as ensure that the proposed new station will be an asset to the community.”

No-brainer

Kingsland Shopping Centre, across Kingsland Road from Bradbury Street, is due to be redeveloped and campaigners have mooted it as an alternative site for the ticket hall.

Ro Rai and his wife Sanju Tamang run Mero Retro, a shop on the north side of Bradbury Street. Mr Rai said: “Why demolish businesses and houses and some historic buildings when there will be a redevelopment just metres away? It’s a no-brainer. They should put the ticket hall there.

“Otherwise it will leave us with half a street – less than half, it will rip the heart out of our community.”

The Hackney Citizen asked TfL which other sites it was considering for the ticket hall. Ms Dix said in response: “We have tried to find sites that minimise the local impact of our proposals whilst enabling us to build the scheme. The proposals we have recently consulted on sought to do.

“We appreciated the feedback we have received and are analysing the responses we have had from the consultation to inform further design development.”

Last year Hackney Council consulted with residents about creating a new conservation area in Dalston, which would include Bradbury Street.

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “The new Dalston conservation area will enable the council to ensure that proposed development enhances or preserves the character or appearance of the area. The council would resist the loss of any historic buildings or spaces in Dalston.”

The draft Dalston Conservation Area is due to go to Hackney Council’s Cabinet on 29 February 2016.

TfL’s latest consultation on Crossrail 2 closed on 8 January. Results are due to be published this spring.