‘Boris’ building: future on hold with owner and council in deadlock

Impasse: the future of the ‘Boris’ building is on hold. Photograph: Max Eckersley

The owner of the beautiful “Boris” building in De Beauvoir is locked in a stalemate with Hackney Council over the final details of a deal that would see the old warehouse and adjacent Victorian mission hall finally redeveloped into flats and shopping units.

The building dates from 1913 but is currently dilapidated. Eli Bitran, who manages the affairs of the building’s owner, Serdnol Properties S.A., says he cannot understand why the council is in gridlock with him over the details of a Section 106 agreement that should have been sealed years ago.

Baffled: manager Eli Bitran cannot understand the delay. Photograph: Max Eckersley

Bitran, who owns the Hackney Road-based Boris Bags shop, says he obtained permission from the council in 2009 to develop the magnificent Hertford Road building into homes and commercial space – subject to the agreement, which was never finalised.

There have since been negotiations between Bitran, acting on behalf of Serdnol Properties, and the council about the commercial viability of the scheme and what proportion of any profits should go to the council for use in providing affordable homes off site. Bitran drew comparisons with the situation concerning the nearby fire station land, on which no affordable housing is to be built, with developers expected to cream off big profits.

Writing about the case in a community newsletter three years ago, local resident and journalist Paul Bolding said the warehouse and mission hall were thought to comprise the largest undeveloped site in De Beauvoir.

He said some people in the area saw it as an ideal place for an artists’ studio and gallery, while others thought it should be turned into a school.

Asked if he would ever be tempted to sell the building, which must be worth many millions, Bitran, who has managed it for more than three decades, remarked: “It’s not for sale. What will be achieved by selling it?”

The Boris building was once named one of the top five historic sites in Hackney by a national newspaper, but it is currently in a poor state of repair.

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “After the decision to grant planning permission subject to Section 106 requirements was taken, the developer took too long a time to complete the terms of the S106 agreement, as such when they did complete the terms, council planning policy had been updated to include extra assessments.

“One of the new planning policy assessments requires the development to include the maximum amount of employment space that is economically feasible, which means an economic viability assessment is required.

“The assessment demonstrated that the scheme would deliver a much greater profit than a developer would normally achieve and so could provide a much better employment offer and still remain a profitable and viable development. However, the applicant has refused to improve their employment offer.”

The council confirmed that the property is still subject to a planning application which is pending approval until Section 106 agreements are satisfied.

This article was amended at 14:07 on Tuesday 28 February 2017. The original article stated Eli Bitran was the owner of the building. In fact, the owner of the building is Serdnol Properties S.A. – Ed.