Wednesday 19th October: PA/22/02181/NC

The proposed change has been refused.

Highland Phone and PC Centre, a valued computer repair and phone shop on the Roman, has been saved after Tower Hamlets council rejected plans to build flats on ground floor.

The go-to spot for East Enders experiencing tech issues on 588 Roman Road faced losing its retail space until an appeal by the Roman Road Bow Neighbourhood Forum against the application was granted.

The council decided to protect Highland Phone Centre, which as a shop is a Class E property. It rejected the proposal of the flats, which would have stood as Class C residential properties had they been built on the Roman.

The rejection was on the grounds that building the flats would go against the sustainable development of our well loved local community in the Roman Road Market and damage our local economy.

The management guidelines under the Roman Road Bow Neighbourhood Plan state: ‘The fragile character of Roman Road has been eroded in the past by unsympathetic alterations and re-building, and further attrition of this character must be prevented.’