EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: 5 REASONS WHY!

1: This proposal complies with the Conservation Area Management Guidelines in that the site is marked for development. According to the Brick Lane and Fournier Street Character Appraisal and Management Guidelines, theLDF identifies 10 development sites in or around the Conservation Area including: the former Shoreditch Station.

2: The proposal complies with the City Fringe Area Action Plan for a mixed-use development. Item 4.50 states “the former Shoreditch Station presents regeneration opportunities for residential-led mixed-use development and a new community facility (respectively) that will contribute tothe diversity of the area.” Community use also requested in the City Fringe AAP will be provided for our preferred tenant Spitalfields Music, a charity that offers children learning through participation.

3: The proposal preserves and enhances the existing conservation area. The proposal preserves the station and respects the scale of the neighbouring four storey Dennis Gilbert House and the seven storey Stuttle House. The proposal also enhances the immediate ConservationArea in that it functions as a gatehouse to the open space of Allen Gardens. The proposal incorporates 19th and 20th Century railway architectures.

4: The proposal provides for the needs of the area. It is widely recognised that the prevalence of crime, squatting and anti-social behaviour is the most dominant characteristic of the site today (refer Met Police crime maps). Our proposal aims to reduce crime through increased and mixed-use 24-hour occupancy of the site as encouraged by the Met PoliceCrime Prevention Officer. Security to both the alleyway and the park will be enhanced through natural surveillance.

5: The proposal provides high quality housing, and in accordance with the Council’s Housing Strategy, seeks to facilitate the delivery of new housing in Shoreditch (SP02).

With the diversion of the East London Line and the subsequent closure station of the station in 2006, the local conservation area has been put at risk due to neglect and degradation with a murder reported just off the alley as recently as August 2011. As Building Conservation recognises:

"a conservation area should not be seen as an end in itself: we live in a changing world and for the historic environment to survive and continue to be cherished it needs to be positively managed."

In terms of:

• heritage: the existing brick station is retained!
• scale: smaller than Stuttle and Denis Gilbert houses! 
• site layout: a gate house to Allen Gardens!
• material: the proposal recycles existing brick!
• community: local charity with art gallery usage!