The Limehouse Triangle
The fight goes on, the pictures are the before and after, from an angry campaigner. Our urban trees should not be in danger.
How people who care about Limehouse were treated by LBTH.
The Liveable Streets proposal in Bow has been postponed as resident’s battle to be heard on the borough-wide consultation, assuming we will have an honest and transparent debate we share solidarity with those campaigners who stood up there.
We would like to use this opportunity to share our experience on a four year battle we have had so far with TH Council for residents living near The Limehouse Triangle in Salmon Lane, E14.
It was a rugged biodiverse site that did have 18 mature trees and was once identified as a potential site of significant importance for nature conversation on the Blue Ribbon Network. https://www.london.gov.uk/.../london-plan-chapter-seven...
This will all be destroyed to make way for an imposing eight storey tower block of 17 homes.
We know housing in London is urgently required. Our campaign focuses on building on suitable sites. We do not think narrow, busy polluted roads, opposite schools, stacked by a narrow pavement on the edge of a canal are suitable conditions for a development. Do you?
We know that we are not alone in the way residents have been treated by Tower Hamlets Council when it comes to consultations which are currently a joke, misleading and nothing but a tick box exercise.
We really hope that it is different for you.
Bulbs were planted here by the council. Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park helped with planting ideas, 50m of native hedge was planted.
The council knew it was going to be considered a site of significant importance for nature conversation so they bulldozed the lot without warning!
Before and after can be seen below.
We launched Plan Bee!
Our story was featured on TV - London Live.
We wanted to enhance this natural habitat and are fighting hard to keep it for this thriving community.
We submitted ideas including turning it into a workable organic council site.
We engaged a beekeeper living in the borough looking for an additional site for his hives.
We received donations of benches, herbs, plants, bulbs. Help from the nearby Stepney City Farm, trainee landscape gardeners, River of Flower www.riverofflowers.org and others willing to champion our scheme and help.
There are three primary schools right nearby and this can be a great educational space for children living in the city, especially now,where a healthy environment is so important.
Directly opposite the triangle Sir William Burrough https://www.sirwilliamburrough.info
75 yds away, Stepney Green Coat https://www.stepneygreencoat.towerhamlets.sch.uk
200 yds away, Stephen Hawking https://www.stephenhawking.towerhamlets.sch.uk
We have always had strong support from locals, petitions presented to the council in 2017 and 2018 were ignored. We have almost 600 names on our most recent online petition:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/.../plan-bee-reclaim-the...
We have had fierce backing from local counsellors Cllr Andrew Wood and then Cllr Andrew Cregan from the beginning.
Local councils have to ensure they consult on planning proposals, not just with existing residents living in the area but they have a duty to consult certain statutory consultees as well (such as the London Fire Brigade etc).
In this case, one of the statutory consultees was The Canal and River Trust. They also objected to the tower block. It is astounding that they were ignored too! They raised health and safety concerns about the building and impact it will have on the canal and The Blue-Ribbon Network.
See the correspondence here:
https://development.towerhamlets.gov.uk/.../PA_18_03347...
https://development.towerhamlets.gov.uk/.../PA_18_03347...
Cllr David Edgar, a cabinet member for Environment has been significantly absent in this process although we have tried to engage with him many times about this campaign.
Two years later he has put his name to this! We can’t help but think all our ideas were stolen!
https://www.towerhabitats.org/.../TowerHamletsLocalBiodiv...
We raised numerous queries with the planning department, none of our concerns were taken seriously. Most of the time we didn’t even get a response.
The development proposal was rejected three times by LBTH’s own Committee Members. In 2017, 2018, deferred again in 2018 because recommendations were not followed. Cllrs John Pearce (Board member for East End Homes and Tower Hamlets Homes) and Cllr Daniel Hassell (Cabinet Member for Children and Schools) always voted FOR the development.
Suddenly a new committee was installed in 2019.
Cllr Rachel Blake (Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing) turned up to the meeting at the last minute and spoke to push the rejected build through.
As did our local councillor in Limehouse ward, Cllr Puru Miah who NEVER met residents to discuss their concerns wrote this blog 48 hours before the committee meeting also supported the build.
https://www.purumiah.com/why-i-am-supporting-the.../
We attended all council committee planning meetings in the Town Hall relating to the Triangle to object to the build.
If you have never attended a committee meeting, it is a real eye-opener. The process is unfair and is geared up for the applicant, not for anyone wanting to object.
In this particular case, it was a council application in front of its own committee. We never stood a chance!
When challenging a planning application each objector has to register in advance and is allocated a maximum of three minutes to formulate their case! They are only allowed to speak once and cannot ask any questions but they are to answer questions asked by anyone on the panel.
At the 2017 meeting, council representatives including architects and planning officials spoke for almost one and a half hours. And in 2018 they spoke for two hours.
The build was rejected three times by most of the Committee Members. Deferred the third time on grounds that improvements were not made.
We could not believe the untruths we heard, particularly in 2019 when Cllr Miah spoke up to say he had taken part in a door knocking session to residents. We were not allowed to speak or correct this! After his speech Cllr Miah left the committee meeting BEFORE the final decision was made!
WE HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM CLLR MIAH SINCE, OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER! THIS IS TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL!
The planning application had NOT changed but this time got the go ahead.
· The development still conflicts with policy SP04 Core Strategy which seeks to protect open spaces.
· The development still fails to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the Regents Canal Conservation Area and the Blue-Ribbon Network.
· The development still fails to accord with the same policies it did in November 2017, as above - 134 of the National Planning Policy framework, policy 7.24 of the London Plan, policy SP10 of the adopted Core Strategy and policies DM12 (water spaces) and DM27 (heritage and the historic environment) of the Managing Development Document.
Residents secured two meetings with Executive Mayor who said “I’ll look into it” - (he has the power to reverse decisions). We discussed the impact of mental health, ULEZ, the rat run to the A13, educating a community, the benefits of a sensory space and a semi allotment, it’s original biodiversity value.
ALL IGNORED
We chased the Executive Mayor for eight months for answers he wasn’t interested. They wanted to build and it didn’t matter what anyone said.
In 2018 out of the blue the Council removed 18 trees from inside the triangle without informing the residents, but months later!
This happened!
https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/.../tower-hamlets...
The council has since granted approval for a fried chicken shop 15 yds from the same school gate - now opened.
Tower Hamlets council choose to not to listen to residents,their minds are made up before they even start a consultation.
If it was really about liveable streets, clean air, healthy living, protecting children’s lungs, then why are they building on this tiny site? Why a fried chicken shop outside a primary school?
Residents on what the council label“social housing estates” also want to be healthy and enjoy clean living.
This is their right!
The start of the community fight
This is the development the council want to build – 17 properties. This consultation never took place.
Residents objected to the build straight away over concerns on Health and Safety.
Directly in front of primary school. Loss of daylight and intrusion to existing residents.
Letter to mayor and reply
Two of many locations we suggested to the council surrounding Salmon Lane as alternative sites to build the 17 properties that would also have better access for the two wheelchair properties promised by the council.
(They paid a consultancy agency to find suitable locations – they missed this and more!)
This area is behind the West-side of Salmon Lane it has 23 parking spaces and 14 lock up garages. The East-side of Salmon Lane 15 garages more parking. Salmon Lane has 26 shops…almost a 1/3 are empty
Norbition Road/Salmon Lane
Aerial view of the triangle that will block out light for the residents of Parnham Street and Rhodeswell Road.
Note: The healthy trees beside the triangle have been taken down.
What the community will end up with
This block is almost complete. Originally a football pitch/tennis court taken over by THH in 2014 to embark on a major program. Locals never got it back.
We challenged Cllr Blake via email why the council was taking away a community space she said, as far as she was aware the space were garages? Clearly never visited the site or looked around the area before voting yes! Definitely did not speak to residents - Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing.
The Triangle today
Overall scale of the Triangle and reasons why residents are right to be concerned about this build
The now vacant Pat Shaw residential home has been empty for years,
The luxury of space behind the row of shops on the westside of Salmon Lane with a through road for wheelchair access immediately springs to mind.
Tower Hamlets council has NEVER given us a valid reason why this build MUST be on the Limehouse Triangle!
We recently asked the council to give us an explanation on why the River Canal Trust survey that raised concerns on health and safety was NEVER taken into consideration nor mentioned during any of the committee meetings – we are still waiting for a reply!
The alleged consultation processes that London Borough of Tower Hamlets deploy to gain public engagement to make real improvements for residents, do not work.
We have just shown you our experience.
We are going to keep campaigning!
Everyone should care about the urban environment, once gone, it will never be regained.