Popular rooftop bar and ‘iconic’ heritage site at risk from ‘massive’ tower block plans

Netil 360’s owner said its future is under threat from the plans. Photograph: courtesy Eat Work Art

Hackney businesses and conservationists are up in arms at plans for a “massive” development they fear will overwhelm a heritage site and hurt the borough’s nightlife.

Proposals for a six-storey block of flats on the corner of Mare Street and Bocking Street near London Fields have drawn the ire of local campaigners and venues.

If plans go through, Netil 360’s rooftop bar and restaurant, which is based alongside numerous other businesses in Netil House on Westgate Street, would see its views of Hackney’s skyline eclipsed, with customers instead looking out into people’s homes.

Owner Ben Revill told the Citizen that he would have to “consider the future and viability” of the venue.

Meanwhile, campaign group Save Mare Street South argues that the towering block would engulf a heritage site of 19th-century low-rise homes on Beck Road, robbing residents of light and privacy

Chair Kathryn Lovering said she was told by consultants that the building would “overwhelm” the well-preserved rows of houses, designated as a conservation area by the council in 2021.

The street is intersected by a unique double railway arch and has housed many artists and their studios, including the charity ACME, while also featuring in numerous films and TV shows such as Slow Horses.

Ms Lovering claims the private developer Konebat Properties Ltd has bought many properties locally, and she wonders if the latest plans are a “good deal” for the borough.

“There was never, ever any consultation on this. They just slapped a very small sign up in the road one day asking, ‘How do you feel about this planning application?’

“Nobody received any letters, and the people in Netil House were never informed about it. The only reason they know is because I was around there one day with my leaflet saying, ‘Can you please give this to people?’

“When somebody let the managers know they said, ‘You’ve got to be joking.’”

A drawing showing how the development could affect Netil House. Image: courtesy Eat Work Art

Proprietor Jamie Rule, who owns café and club NT’s Loft in Netil House, also confirmed he had not received any kind of official letter from the local authority and said he is certain that it would lead to more noise complaints.

“After the pandemic, which was a very tough time for our industry, we had quite a few people move into the area not knowing that there was a venue,” he said.

“Once we opened [back up], it was a classic story: a quiet neighborhood during Covid-19 realises there’s a venue near them and they start complaining.

“In the case of lots of new developers, they pump a lot of money into these things but don’t really care if the venue next door gets shut down. It’s more about profits and selling flats.”

The Town Hall maintains that it is undertaking consultation on this application in line with both planning regulations and Hackney Council’s own statement of community involvement, which has higher standards of consultation than the minimums set out by legal guidelines.

The Citizen was told that since the applicant has now revised the original proposal, further consultation had been taken, most recently in January this year.

It is understood that St Joseph’s Hospice on Mare Street is also objecting to the application on the basis that the building will block out natural light into its rooms and intensify noise pollution.

As the planning authority, Hackney Council cannot comment on live applications, but a Town Hall spokesperson said the bid was being assessed “against our planning policies, guidelines and other material planning considerations”.

“This includes requirements around affordable housing and impact on neighbouring properties – including applying the agent of change principle which places the onus on a new development to mitigate for noise, rather than existing venues having to change how they operate.”

It is also understood that the application includes proposals for 38 homes, 19 of which are designated ‘affordable’, with 12 of these at ‘social rent’ and 7 ‘intermediate’ – for example, shared ownerships.

But consultants LRJ Planning argue that this is “insufficient to make any meaningful impact”.

“The development fails to provide accommodation for key workers, missing a crucial opportunity to deliver genuine public benefits that support the local workforce and community infrastructure,” they said.

The local authority has not yet set a date for its planning sub-committee to consider the application.