Holborn Studios versus a dysfunctional council planning department

Dear Friends,

I regret to inform you that the planning officers at Hackney Council have acted unreasonably yet again and they are recommending the demolition of Holborn Studios.

As many of you are aware, the Holborn Studios buildings are all locally listed, following a decision by Hackney Council in 2014 to protect them against adverse change. Sadly, the same council, for reasons best known to itself, has succumbed to pressure from "investors" to destroy some of the main features of this site and to wipe out its occupants' businesses. This is absolutely NOT a brownfield site - it is home to a prestigious and thriving photographic studio complex which Hackney should be proud of. However, the council officers seem determined to support an obscene process of social cleansing and we are dependent on the elected local representatives to hold them to account. With a local election less than two months away, this is an opportunity for the local councillors to demonstrate that their loyalty is to the residents and home grown creative industries of Hoxton rather than to big businesses with no respect for the canal environs.

If this application is waived through by the planning committee then it is very likely to be quashed again in the High Court and the Hackney taxpayers will pick up the legal fees. If you are a Hackney taxpayer then please express your concerns to your councillors.

The planning committee meeting will take place this Thursday at 6:30pm. If you wish to object or complain to the councillors then please do so urgently. I apologise for the short notice, but the meeting notifications were sent out only a couple of working days ago and the decision was so irrational that we wondered whether the meeting would go ahead or not.

Further information on this meeting is being provided on the following web page. This includes the officer's report, which illustrates how most of our objections have fallen on deaf ears.

Holborn-Studios/committee-2022-03-10.html

If you need any help finding councillor details or other information then please reply to this e-mail.

Best wishes,

Ian Shacklock

Chair, Friends of Regent's Canal

Best wishes,

8th March 2022

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