Additional information to help you to respond
Policies relevant to the planning application are shown below, ranging from the adopted Neighbourhood Plan, current borough Local Plan, the London Plan and the national planning framework.
Roman Road Bow Neighbourhood Plan (Page 60)
Policy HE1 Bow Wharf waterway infrastructure conservation and enhancement
‘Development proposals at Bow Wharf must demonstrate how they reflect the historic character of the area and how they will enhance both its heritage significance and cultural vibrancy.
Proposed development must therefore submit a comprehensive statement of historic significance clearly demonstrating how proposals positively reflect and are informed by the existing historic context and how the proposals will enhance the historic character of the area.
Developers are advised to ensure plans are developed in consultation with the Council’s conservation team, Neighbourhood Forum and the Canal and River Trust. Proposals must demonstrate widespread consultation with local businesses, residents and community groups.’
Regent’s Canal Conservation Area
Character. ‘The Regent’s Canal retains elements of its industrial heritage which must be protected and successfully combined with its new role as a recreational resource, providing a peaceful haven of tranquil amenity space.’ (page 7)
Outline Guidance on Applications. ‘When planning applications in a Conservation Area are decided, the planning authority will pay special attention to whether the character of the area is preserved or enhanced.’ (page 15)
Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031 Local Plan Vision and Objectives
Section 2 of the Local Plan on delivering sustainable places
Vision and objectives: 19.3 ‘To achieve this vision, our objectives are to:
a. Ensure the strategic north-south spine of Victoria Park and Mile End Park is protected and enhanced with walking and cycling links, whilst maximising opportunities to access the waterways for recreational use.’ (page 222)
Creating attractive and distinctive places
1. Create a scale and form of development that provides a consistent and coherent setting for the area it defines and relates to the prevailing townscape.
2. Respond positively to the surrounding context including conservation areas and heritage assets which define the local character. (page 224)
Enhancing open spaces and water spaces
‘16.Improve the unique ecological and historic character of the waterways, Mile End Park and Victoria Park and support their function and role as a recreational focal points for the area and the borough as a whole.’
‘17. Enhance the green corridor between Mile End Park and Victoria Park as well as the area surrounding the Bow Common Gas works site, through improved footways, the greening of facades and incorporating trees and street planters.’ (page 225)
 Development Principles in Local Plan for the Central Area Section
The plan says all development in the Central sub-area will seek to deliver attractive and distinctive places which:
1. Create a scale and form of development that provides a consistent and coherent setting for the area it defines and relates to the prevailing townscape.
2. Respond positively to the surrounding context including conservation areas and heritage assets which define the local character. (page 225)
Amenity Policy D.DH8, p.67
‘1. Development is required to protect and where possible enhance or increase the extent of the amenity of new and existing buildings and their occupants, as well as the amenity of the surrounding public realm.’
Policy D.CF2 Existing community facilities, p. 130
1. Existing community facilities must be retained unless it can be demonstrated that:
a. there is no longer a need for the facility or an alternative community use within the local community, or
b. a replacement facility of similar nature that would better meet the needs of existing users is provided.
Heritage and the Historic Environment Policy SDH3, p.49
‘1. Proposals must preserve or, where appropriate, enhance the borough’s designated and non-designated heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance as key and distinctive elements of the borough’s 24 places.
2. Proposals to alter, extend or change the use of a heritage asset or proposals that would affect the setting of a heritage asset will only be permitted where:
a. they safeguard the significance of the heritage asset, including its setting, character, fabric or identity
b. they are appropriate in terms of design, height, scale, form, detailing and materials in their local context
c. they enhance or better reveal the significance of assets or their settings
d. they preserve strategic and locally important views and landmarks, as defined in Policy D.DH4, and
e. in the case of a change of use from a use for which the building was originally designed, a thorough assessment of the practicability of retaining its existing use has been carried out outlining the wider public benefits of the propose alternative.
3. Applications affecting the significance of a heritage asset will be required to provide sufficient information to demonstrate how the proposal would contribute to the asset’s conservation. Any harm to the significance of a heritage asset must be justified having regard to the public benefits of the proposal: whether it has been demonstrated that all reasonable efforts have been made to sustain the existing use, find new uses, or mitigate the extent of the harm to the significance of the asset; and whether the works proposed are the minimum required to secure the long term use of the asset Factors that will be considered can include:
a. The significance of the asset, architecturally, historically and contextually
b. The adequacy of efforts made to retain the asset in use, and
c. The merits of any alternative proposal for the site.’ (pp. 48-49)
Loss of Employment Space Policy D.EMP3, p.104
2. Development should not result in the net loss of viable employment floorspace outside of the designated employment locations cited in Part 1 above or Local Employment Locations (LELs), except where they:
a. provide evidence of active marketing over a continuous period of at least 24 months at a reasonable market rent which accords with indicative figures, or
b. provide robust demonstration that the site is genuinely unsuitable for continued employment use due to its condition; reasonable options for restoring the site to employment use are unviable; and that the benefits of alternative use would outweigh the benefits of employment use.
Meeting housing needs Policy S.H1, p.76
‘2. Development will be expected to contribute towards the creation of mixed and balanced communities that respond to local and strategic need. This will be achieved through:…….
iii. requiring the provision of a minimum of 35% affordable housing on sites providing 10 or more new residential units (subject to viability), and
iv. requiring a mix of rented and intermediate affordable tenures to meet the full range of housing needs.’
Affordable Housing & Housing Mix Policy D.H2, p.80
‘6. Major developments and estate regeneration schemes are required to undertake thorough and inclusive public consultations proportionate to the nature and scale of development and submit a consultation statement detailing these activities.
Open space and green grid networks Policy D.OWS3, p.145
1.Development on areas of open space (excluding Metropolitan Open Land) will only be supported in exceptional circumstances where development should not adversely impact on the public enjoyment, openness, ecological and heritage value of the borough’s publicly accessible open spaces.
2017 Development Viability Supplementary Planning Guidance
This guidance says Financial Viability Assessments (FVA) are required where viability is a material consideration in a planning application and that : ‘The full FVA and Executive Summary, submitted in accordance with the Council’s transparency requirements, will usually be published as soon as practicable following validation.’ (Key Requirement 10)
The Canal and River Trust’s charitable objects
The Trust’s 2024 Governance Handbook states: ‘Any action or decision made by or on behalf of the Trust, at whatever level, needs to pass the test of whether it ultimately will contribute to or help bring about these charitable objects.’
The objects include:
2.1 to preserve, protect, operate, and manage Inland Waterways for public benefit:
2.1.3 for recreation or other leisure-time pursuits of the public in the interest of their health and social welfare.
2.2 to protect and conserve for public benefit sites, objects, and buildings of archaeological, architectural, engineering, or historic interest on, in the vicinity of, or otherwise associated with Inland Waterways.
The Trust’s 2023 heritage policy Point 3 states ‘The nature an scale of any work will have to consider its impact upon the integrity of the asset, it setting and its conservation in the long term.’
The image below is of the Canal and River Trust’s Bow Wharf Management Office which would be demolished to enable the relocation of the main entrance to the site into Wennington Road. |
