Hackney’s population to hit 300,000 in next decade, say government number-crunchers

Full on: crowds at Hackney WickED. Photograph: Tim Sullivan

Hackney is the eighth fastest growing local authority in England, according to new government data.

Projections released today by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that by 2024, the number of people living in the borough will increase by 16.4 per cent over 10 years.

The estimated population in mid-2014 was 263,200, and is projected to rise to 306,300 by mid-2024 – an increase of 43,100.

London as a whole is predicted to grow by 13.7 per cent over this period, more than any other region in England.

Simon Ross, Chief Executive of Population Matters, a charity concerned with sustainable population growth has issued a warning about the population projections.

“These figures are a wake-up call. High rates of population growth are projected across many of England’s regions.

“This has substantial implications: we will be struggling even harder for school places, health services will be further stretched and the housing crisis will spiral even further out of control,” he said.

“And if these projections are right, it is not only affordability and quality of life that will suffer, but air quality, biodiversity and the wider environment.

“Policy makers must sit up and take notice. More must be done to educate, inform and raise awareness about the benefits of sustainable population and family size.”

Suzie Dunsmith, of the ONS Population Projections Unit, said: “All regions of England are projected to see an increase in their population size over the next decade, with London, the East of England and South East projected to grow faster than the country as a whole.

“The population is also ageing with all regions seeing a faster growth in those aged 65 and over than in younger age groups.”