Abney Park’s Grade II-listed gates ‘saved’ as greengrocer’s plans prove fruitless

Fruitless: a greengrocer’s plans for a two-storey expansion have been rejected by Hackney Council. Photograph: Google Streetview

A greengrocer’s plan to stack two extra storeys on top of his shop, which is attached to Abney Park’s Grade II-listed gates, has been turned down by Hackney Council.

The decision follows a warning by Abney Park Trust, which runs community events in the memorial park, that the proposed expansion would have eaten away at the character of the area.

The owner of Nature, a fruit and vegetable shop on Stoke Newington High Street, had submitted plans for a two-storey extension with a mansard roof.

But Hackney Council refused to grant planning permission, after objections to the application rolled in from Abney Park Trust.

The council’s planning officers stated that the proposed size, design and setting of the development would impinge on the Grade II-listed gates and park, which falls within the Stoke Newington Conservation Area.

They also had doubts about about the design and layout of the proposed floorspace.

An Abney Park Trust spokesperson said: “We are pleased that the council has refused planning permission for this development.

“The application was detrimental to the use, appearance and symmetry of the Grade II-listed entrance gates and lodges to Abney Park cemetery. The premises in question, although constructed at a later date, form part of the main entrance and were built in to conform with their design.”

The owner of Nature declined to comment when contacted by the Hackney Citizen.