City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014

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City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
City Fringe
Opportunity Area Planning Framework
        Consultation Draft December 2014
City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
Published by                               Acknowledgements

Greater London Authority                   Project team

19 December 2014                           Matt Christie (Project Manager)

                                                                                                       City Fringe
                                           Mark Powney (LB Hackney)
Contact                                    Ben Johnson (LB Islington)
                                           Gemma Hotchkiss/ Chris Horton (LB Tower Hamlets)
CityFringe@london.gov.uk                   David Jowsey (TfL)

                                                                                                Opportunity Area Planning Framework
Website                                    Project sponsors

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-            Martin Scholar (GLA)                                         Consultation Draft December 2014
assembly/mayor/publications/planning

                                           Management Group
Public consultation
                                           Fiona Fletcher-Smith (GLA)
December 2014                              John Allen (LB hackney)
                                           Karen Sullivan (LB Islington)
                                           Paul Beckett (City Corporation of London)
Copyright                                  Gemma Hotchkiss/ Chris Horton LB Tower Hamlets
1. The maps in this document are
   based on Ordnance Survey Material       Far more people than it is possible to thank
   with the permission of Ordnance         individually have contributed to the production of
   Survey on behalf of the Controller of   this framework. They include major landowners and
   Her Majesty’s Stationery Office ©.      their planning, transport and design teams; local
   Unauthorised reproduction infringes     residents and businesses; officers at the Greater
   Crown copyright and may lead to         London Authority, Transport for London, The City
   prosecution or civil proceedings.       of London Corporation, Hackney, Islington and
   Licence number LA100019726, year        Tower Hamlets Councils without whom, neither the
   2014.                                   framework nor the progress that has been made so
                                           far would have been possible.
     © Crown Copyright and database
     right 2014. Ordnance Survey
     100032216 GLA

2.   The photos in this document are
     courtesy of Matt Christie unless
     otherwise stated

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City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
Foreword

     Boris Johnson
     Mayor of London

     I am delighted to introduce the City Fringe      Financial businesses and services
     Opportunity Area Planning Framework which       expanding from the City into the City
     has been the product of some excellent joint    Fringe and the high values commanded
     work between the GLA, TfL and the London        by residential development are creating
     borough councils of Islington, Hackney and      significant challenges. Rising rents, a lack of
     Tower Hamlets.                                  space and a dwindling supply of affordable
                                                     workspace are problems which, if not
     The City Fringe is among London’s most
                                                     tackled, threaten the vision of Tech City being
     significant areas for economic growth, whilst
                                                     the hub driving innovation and growth the
     also containing some of the capitals most
                                                     UK’s digital economy.
     deprived neighbourhoods. The growth of
     Tech City represents a massive opportunity      This document sets out the strategies that
     for London to establish itself as the tech      will, alongside the policies of the London
     capital of Europe, whilst fuelling a growth     boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Tower
     engine that can drive regeneration in inner     Hamlets, address these issues and allow this
     East London.                                    key part of London to fulfil its considerable
                                                     economic potential.

                                                     I look forward to receiving and reviewing your
                                                     comments.

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City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
Executive summary

A changing boundary                                                                                                    Affordable space
The City Fringe was historically regarded as the area       The key growth conditions that planning can affect in      Whilst all of the issues addressed in this document are    There are five objectives in order to achieve this vision:
around the north and eastern edges of the City of           the City Fringe are:                                       important, the role played by affordable employment
London’s financial district. Despite the Global Financial                                                              space and the importance this will have in future are      •       Ensuring there is the space for continued
Crisis, the core office market has continued to expand      •       Available, affordable, suitable business           particularly recognised. Coworking spaces will continue            business growth in City Fringe
and is now well established in these areas. As a result,                                                               to play a role, and the market has shown that provision
much of what was considered fringe in the early             •       stock.                                             of some affordable space within larger developments        •       Striking the appropriate balance between
2000s is now considered core, whilst the City Fringe                                                                   can be an attractive lure for prestigious anchor tenant.           residential and commercial development
has moved north and east into areas such as Dalston,        •       Location and “creative vibe”.                      It is still likely, however, to be a role for securing
Hackney, Haggerston and Whitechapel.                                                                                   affordable space through mechanisms such as section        •       Supporting the mix of uses that makes City
                                                            •       Dense, urban, collaborative environment            106 legal agreements. Local policy is recognised as                Fringe special
The growth opportunity and the                                                                                         the most appropriate way of responding to local need
                                                            •       Connectivity.                                      and delivering such space. This document is intended       •       Identifying the key strategic development sites
threats                                                                                                                to address the issue at a strategic level and provide a
                                                            •       Mix of uses.                                       suitable framework within which the policies of the
The City Fringe Opportunity Area (OA) contains                                                                                                                                    •       Connecting the City Fringe
                                                                                                                       London Boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Tower
significant development capacity in relatively central                                                                 Hamlets can best secure affordable employment space.
areas and there is particular scope not only to support     The availability of plentiful cheap business space                                                                    Ensuring there is the space for
London’s critical mass of financial and business            associated with the industrial legacy of the City
                                                            Fringe has been one of the most significant factors        Vision                                                     continued business growth in City
services but also the diverse cluster of digital-creative
businesses in an expanding “Tech City”. The expansion       in the rise of Tech City. Many of the old warehouses                                                                  Fringe
of Tech City and continued business growth in the           and printworks have now either been redeveloped or         Tech City UK and London & Partners have
City Fringe OA are recognised by both the Mayor and         refurbished and competition for leases is increasing, as   complementary remits and together they address             Building on the exemption from changes to Permitted
the Prime Minister as strategically important to the        the core office market expands and more “traditional”      nonplanning issues.The Mayor sets out in this              Development rights, the City Fringe OA is broken down
economy of London and the UK. This latest draft City        City businesses look to locate in the area. Furthermore    document what the planning system can do to assist.        into a “Core Growth Area” and a largely residential
Fringe has been re-focused to look at the key areas         the increasing attractiveness of the City Fringe and the   The vision is:                                             “hinterland”. It is more important to ensure an
that planning can influence, that will maximise this        arrival of Crossrail mean that higher value residential                                                               ongoing supply of employment floorspace and some
growth and continue to drive the regeneration of East       can often outbid and displace lower value office and       “Enabling the business cluster to continue to grow as      older, affordable stock in the Core Growth Area. It
London.                                                     light industrial uses when new sites become available.     a mix of large corporations, SMEs, micro businesses        is, however, accepted that there is a finite supply of
                                                            Over time this could contribute to the weakening and       and start-ups and become the innovation hub driving        older stock and that affordable employment floorspace
The City Fringe is increasingly the home of new and         dissipation of the digital-creative cluster. This would    growth in London and the UK’s the digital economy,         must come forward in new developments especially
emerging sectors of the economy with particular             be detrimental to London’s wider knowledge economy         while delivering housing and other supporting uses         where there will be demolition of existing affordable
clustering and accommodation requirements. This             and the ambition to create a world leading digital-        such as retail and leisure. ”                              workspace. Developers should engage potential end-
hasn’t happened randomly, and there are particular          creative business hub based around Tech City. The                                                                     users using the London Open Workspace website, at an
conditions that have encouraged clustering in the City      parallel growth in other sectors fuelled by the presence                                                              early stage to inform design and provide assurance that
Fringe, as they have in other places such as New York,      of new residents, workers and visitors with relatively                                                                the space will be managed post construction and not
San Francisco and Berlin. Some of these conditions          high incomes is also subsequently threatened.                                                                         converted to another use.
are related to planning, whereas others (such as those
associated with wider economic structural changes and
cycles) are not.

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City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
Striking the appropriate balance
between residential and commercial
development
The stock of employment floorspace, and the future           go beyond the minimum standards of cycle parking
pattern of demand is unlikely to be even across the          provision in the London Plan. The Super Connected
City Fringe as Tech City expands. Current and future         Cities programme is signposted as a way stimulating
demand mapping has been commissioned to inform               demand and encouraging businesses to apply for
a map that further breaks the City Fringe OA down            vouchers to improve their Broadband connectivity.
into “Inner core”, “outer core” and “hinterland” areas.
This broadly sets out the relative levels of employment      The areas containing the key development
and residential use that should come forward on              opportunities are identified. It is these areas where
sites in the respective parts of the OA. It is not           most change will occur and into which Tech City is
prescriptive, but is intended as a starting point for pre-   already expanding. These areas also face significant
application discussions and the assessment of planning       urban design challenges such as severance, poor public
applications.                                                realm, poor structure and legibility and lack of public
                                                             open space. Key Strategic Principles set out how these
Supporting the mix of uses that                              issues can be addressed and which sites present the
                                                             opportunity to do so. They also set out how these
makes City Fringe special                                    areas can be better connected to one another and
                                                             become a more integrated part of the wider City
The pressure for new development should not erode            Fringe.
the qualities that draw businesses and residents to
the City Fringe attractive in the first place. Ongoing
provision of the mix of supporting uses such as leisure,     Implementation
retail and night-time economy needs to be managed
in a way that doesn’t compromise the character of the        The plan will be delivered in partnership with the
area and ensures “critical mass” at key locations such       London boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Tower
as special policy areas, CAZ frontages and the town          Hamlets and the implementation chapter sets out how
centre network. Support is given to small independent        this will be achieved. Mechanisms for cooperation,
traders and temporary “pop-up” uses that provide             funding and monitoring and review of the plan are
vibrancy and activity as well as provide valuable            considered in detail.
opportunities for new businesses.
                                                             A transport review has been undertaken by TfL, and
                                                             a Property Market Appraisal by URS, JLL and Hatton
Identifying the key strategic                                Real Estate was commissioned in order to provide a
development sites and Connecting                             supportive evidence base for the OAPF.
the City Fringe
The various transport proposals are brought together
in one integrated strategy. This provides clarity on how
the area will be increasingly well connected within
itself and with wider London, particularly as Crossrail
and Crossrail 2 develop. Levels of walking and cycling
are already high and can go even higher as more
people live and work in the OA. Developers should

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City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
Table of contents

    1. Introduction and background                        4. Supporting the right mix

    2     Purpose of the guidance                         32     Mix of uses- lifestyle choice and informal
    4     City Fringe OA                                         networking
    6     Tech City                                       34     Strategy 4: Supporting the mix of uses that
    12    Vision and objectives                                  makes City Fringe special
    12    Strategy 1: The City Fringe as a planning 		    35     Strategy 5: Supporting pop-ups and temporary
          boundary                                               usesg pop-ups
                                                           and temporary uses
    2. Ensuring space for business growth                 5. Connecting the City Fringe

    16    The mix of business in the City Fringe          38     Context
    16    Analysis of the property market                 40     Tackling poor public realm and connectivity
    18    Types of space being used                       42     Junctions and severance: A summary
    19    Supply of space                                 44     Promoting walking and cycling
    19    Demand forecasts and comparison with 		         47     Strategy 6: Cycle parking
          supply                                          50     Wider connectivity
    20    Strategy 2: Protecting a quantum of 		          52     Super connected cities
          floorspace needed for growth                    56     Key strategic sites and strategic design
                                                                 principles
    3. Striking the balance
                                                          6. Implementation
    26    Viability and competition with residential
          development                                     88     Delivering the vision in partnership
    28    Strategy 3: Striking the balance between 		     89     Infrastructure, funding and investment sources
          employment and residential                      90     LIPS/ Other Transport funding
                                                          90     Crossrail complimentary measures funding
                                                          90     Prudential borrowing
                                                          90     Business rate retention
                                                          90     GLAs regeneration funds
                                                          90     GLA housing zone
                                                          90     New Homes Bonus
                                                          90     LIF
                                                          91     European Structural and Investment Funds
                                                          92     Monitoring and review

                                                          7. Glossary of terms

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City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
Introduction
                              1

      Contents

      •    Purpose of the guidance
      •    City Fringe OA
      •    City Fringe OAPF
      •    Tech City
      •    Vision and objectives
      •    Strategy: The City Fringe as a planning
           boundary

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City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
1 Introduction

Purpose of the guidance
1.1      In March 2012 the Government published
the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) with
the aim of making the planning system less complex
and more accessible and to promote sustainable                     National Planning Policy Framework
growth. Since then the London Plan has undergone
two reviews. Given the level of consistency between
the current London Plan and the NPPF, the Mayor
considers that the London Plan can be seen as the
expression of national planning policy for London,
tailored to meet local circumstances and to respond to
the opportunities to achieve sustainable development
here.

1.2      This document does not create policy but
provides guidance that supplements the Mayor’s
London Plan and the relevant borough policies for the
City Fringe. The purpose of the OAPF is to elaborate               www.communities.gov.uk                                         Figure 1.2 The key diagram
                                                                   community, opportunity, prosperity

on the development plan policies and provide guidance
on how the Mayor and boroughs wish to see the policy
implemented, thus providing developers, investors
and land owners with greater certainty in the planning
process.

1.3      This Guidance is supported by a Property
Appraisal Study that looks at the business needs of
the City Fringe, possible threats and how planning
might best respond to assist growth. The framework
has also been influenced by meetings and discussions
with key public and private landowners who form the
wider stakeholder group. This has included a review of
current and consented development proposals in the
Opportunity Area (OA).                                           DRAFT FURTHER ALTERATIONS TO
                                                                 T H E LO N D O N P L A N
1.4
                                                                 THE SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR GREATER LONDON
         The OAPF sits under the broad strategic                 DRAFT FURTHER ALTERATIONS TO THE LONDON PLAN JULY 2011
                                                                 CONSOLIDATED WITH REVISED EARLY MINOR ALTERATIONS OCTOBER 2013
guidance of the London Plan and the more detailed
guidance provided in the Local Plans and Development             JANUARY 2014

Management Local Plans. On publication the OAPF will
be a supplementary planning guidance (SPG) to the
policies set out in the London Plan. As such it will be
subject to formal public consultation and is therefore a
material consideration in respect of planning decisions    Figure 1.1 National Planning Policy Framework and the
in the City Fringe area.                                                                                                          Figure 1.3 Material weight of this framework
                                                           Draft Further Alterations to the London Plan

2                                                                                                                                                                                3
City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
City Fringe opportunity area                                                                                         City Fringe OAPF
1.5       The City Fringe was historically conceived as     Fringe OA are considered strategically vital- a point    1.10 In February 2008 the Draft City Fringe
being an area around the north and eastern edges            recognised by the UK Government when an exemption        Opportunity Area Planning Framework (CFOAPF) was
of the City of London’s financial district, covering        to changes in permitted development rights was           published for consultation with Hackney, Islington and
Clerkenwell, Old Street, Shoreditch, Spitalfields,          granted for the area.                                    Tower Hamlets Councils as well as the City of London
Aldgate and Whitechapel as well as outer parts of the                                                                Corporation. This, however, used the original City
City itself such as Broadgate. Over the past decade         1.9     The City Fringe also contains some of the most   Fringe boundary. A joint response was received in
the core office market has expanded into these fringe       deprived inner city neighbourhoods in the UK, as well    October 2010.
areas, with new Grade A office developments and             as more affluent neighbourhoods and developments.
replacing much of the older stock. As a result, much of                                                              1.11 This latest draft City Fringe OAPF responds
what was considered fringe in 2003 is now considred                                                                  to the joint response of October 2010 and has been
“core” by planners and the development industry. By                                                                  re-focused to look at the key areas that planning can
the same token the City Fringe has moved north and                                                                   influence, that will allow the Tech City digital cluster
east into areas such as Dalston, Hackney, Haggerston                                                                 to continue to grow and be a driver of regeneration in
and the wider Whitechapel area.                                                                                      inner East London.

1.6      The City Fringe Opportunity Area (OA) is now                                                                1.12 As the City Fringe also has a significant role
defined in the London Plan as being approximately                                                                    in addressing London’s housing need, a key aim is
901 hectares of land covering parts of the London                                                                    achieving a balanced, spatially nuanced approach that
boroughs of Islington, Tower Hamlets and Hackney.                                                                    allows for the residential development needed without
Tech City is recognised as a significant business cluster                                                            compromising the opportunity for economic growth.
within the City Fringe but does not cover the whole                                                                  Residential development should not be at the expense
of the OA. For planning purposes Tech City represents                                                                of the employment land and the commercial floorspace
the commercial core of the City Fringe - around                                                                      the City Fringe needs to support growth.
Shoreditch, Old Street, Bishopsgate and Spitalfields,
extending north to Hackney Central and Dalston, and                                                                  1.13 The London Plan recognises that the City
south and east to include Aldgate and Whitechapel.                                                                   Fringe is increasingly the home of new and emerging
The wider boundary covers the hinterland area, which                                                                 sectors of the economy with particular clustering and
is mixed-use in many places but more residential in                                                                  accommodation requirements. This document looks
nature.                                                                                                              at the characteristics of this business ecosystem and
                                                                                                                     what it is about the City Fringe that has enabled the
1.7      The City Fringe boundary no longer includes                                                                 growth of this digital cluster within it. The particular
any part of the City of London Corporation area.                                                                     accommodation requirements are the subject of
As the City is an adjacent area of internationally                                                                   supporting work, which has informed the strategies set
significant business activity, the relationship and the                                                              out throughout this document.
dynamic between the areas has still considered in the
formulation of this document.

1.8       The City Fringe OA contains significant
development capacity in relatively central areas and
there is particular scope not only to support London’s
critical mass of financial and business services but also
the diverse cluster of digital businesses that constitute
Tech City. Consolidation of the digital cluster and
continued business growth in the core areas of the City

4                                                                                                                                                                               5
City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework - Consultation Draft December 2014
Tech City                                                  Why cluster here?                                          This emerging east-west axis broadly aligns with the         •   Location and “creative vibe”. The area
                                                                                                                      new Crossrail route, offering London’s knowledge                 is centrally located and has for decades
                                                                                                                      economy a new corridor of cross-sector collaboration,            attracted small businesses and artists who
1.14 As low-skill manufacturing relocates to low
                                                                                                                      connectivity and growth.                                         were also attracted by the availability of cheap
cost labour markets and the service and creative
                                                                                                                                                                                       space. Local Authority policies promoting
sectors become dominant in mature economies, the
                                                                                                                      1.20 The increasing attractiveness of the City                   nightlife, leisure and the arts (The “Young Brit
digital economy is becoming more important for
                                                                                                                      Fringe, as well as the arrival of Crossrail also mean that       Art” movement started on Hoxton Square)
the UK and other western countries. Realizing the
                                                                                                                      higher value residential can potentially outbid and              provided improved amenity for banking and
potential, governments are engaged in efforts to
                                                                                                                      displace lower value office and light industrial uses            financial services workers from the nearby City,
intensify growth in their digital and creative clusters.
                                                                                                                      which, over time, could lead to the weakening and                whose spending promoted rapid growth in the
The approach of the UK government is to support
                                                                                                                      dissipation of the cluster. This would be detrimental to         arts and leisure industries.
the growth of the existing clusters and the wider
promotion of technology, creative and knowledge                                                                       London’s wider knowledge economy and the ambition
intensive businesses as part of their strategy to                                                                     to create a world leading digital-creative business hub      •   Dense, urban, collaborative environment.
rebalance the economy and strengthen the UK’s                                                                         based around the current Tech City cluster.                      The City Fringe’s unique character, mix
competitive position internationally.                                                                                                                                                  of uses, transport and lively and informal
                                                                                                                      1.21 The London Plan estimates that London may                   networking opportunities and creative
                                                                                                                      need up to 5.2m sq.m of additional office floorspace             atmosphere make it a very attractive place
1.15 Digital businesses have been setting up in            1.18 Large cities, especially long-established ones
                                                                                                                      by 2031 in order to support projected employment                 for the highly educated, highly mobile
London since the 1970’s but since the late 1990’s          such as London create agglomeration economies-
                                                                                                                      growth. Central London is expected to need the                   professionals that successful digital companies
there has been significant growth focused on inner         within which businesses benefit from concentrating
                                                                                                                      majority of this floorspace and the Mayor is concerned           need to attract. Such conditions prevail in
east London and in particularly the City Fringe. The       and co-locating in large groups. Over centuries of
                                                                                                                      that the planning process does not compromise                    other “urban tech clusters” like those in New
resultant digital-creative cluster has been christened     trading many specialisms have clustered in distinct
                                                                                                                      employment growth.                                               York City, San Francisco and Berlin.
“Tech City”, a name which refers to the area around        parts of central London, and this is an ongoing
Old Street (or “Silicon”) Roundabout.                      process. Such clustering offers key advantages to
                                                           businesses. These are:                                     1.22 The Mayor acknowledges that London’s                    •   Connectivity. The City Fringe has excellent
                                                                                                                      economy is changing and that it is important to ensure           public transport connections to other parts
1.16 Whilst activities such as software and web
                                                                                                                      the ongoing availability of appropriate workspaces for           of London and its major airports. It is also a
design and application development are important,          •       Attracting and retaining skilled labour
                                                                                                                      London’s changing economy. The London Plan seeks                 largely walkable area with permeable blocks,
Tech City is not really about creating new “tech”.
                                                                                                                      an increase in office stock where there is evidence of           buildings with small floorplates and a largely
In fact TMT businesses are in a minority. Neither          •       Knowledge, innovation and technology
                                                                                                                      sustained demand for office-based activities, such as            efficient pedestrian movement network.
is it homogeneous as there is distinctive sectoral                 transfer between businesses and sectors
                                                                                                                      those in the City Fringe.                                        Although there are some issues with legibility
clustering throughout the area. Advertising, marketing,
                                                                                                                                                                                       and wayfinding, it is generally easy to travel
communications and branding agencies that have             •       Competition with similar firms, which
                                                                                                                      1.23 There are particular conditions that encourage              between the core growth area, the hinterland
a focus on use of the internet are a key presence                  drives efficiency and improves global
                                                                                                                      clustering in the City Fringe. Some of these conditions          areas and other areas of East and Central
throughout the City Fringe but there is a particularly             competitiveness.
                                                                                                                      are related to planning, whereas others (such as those           London by bicycle. Modern businesses,
high concentration of such firms to the West of
                                                                                                                      associated with wider economic structural changes                particularly digital firms need a reliable
the City Fringe in Clerkenwell and St. Lukes. There        1.19 London’s knowledge economy can be seen
                                                                                                                      and cycles) are not. The key growth conditions that              internet connection with decent bandwidth
is evidence of a smaller concentration of digital-         to be consolidating in clusters along an east-west
                                                                                                                      planning can affect in the City Fringe are:                      and reliability. Central London not only has
media, advertising and marketing companies around          axis running from the Olympic Park in Stratford in                                                                          good broadband infrastructure, but Wi-Fi is
Spitalfields.                                              the east and the Golden Mile and Hayes out towards
                                                                                                                      •       Available, affordable, suitable business                 available either free or for a small fee in many
                                                           Heathrow in the west. This axis connects Tech City with                                                                     places.
1.17 In October 2010 the Prime Minister David                                                                                 stock. The current digital-creative cluster isn’t
                                                           world class life science institutions including Queen
Cameron set out his vision for Tech City to become an                                                                         the first business cluster to form in the City
                                                           Mary University, the BioEnterprise Innovation Centre,                                                                   •   Mix of uses. Lifestyle choice and informal
emerging technology hub of international significance,                                                                        Fringe. The decline of the printing industry
                                                           Royal London Hospital, Welcome Trust, University                                                                            networking. The City Fringe has many small
spreading from Old Street to the Olympic Park. The                                                                            and manufacturing in particular have left
                                                           College Hospital and the new Francis Crick Institute,                                                                       independent shops, bars, cafes, restaurants
“spread” was already occurring, in that similar clusters                                                                      a good stock of smaller, affordable office
                                                           as well as 4 of the top 40 universities in the world. Of                                                                    and street markets. This vibrant mix of land-
have formed across inner London where the right                                                                               accommodation that is well suited to creative
                                                           these Imperial College, University College and King’s                                                                       uses allows plentiful opportunities for informal
conditions exist. This document only addresses the                                                                            industries and tech start-ups with limited
                                                           College all have major new physical expansion projects                                                                      networking and initiating further collaboration.
City Fringe, which contains the original, catalytic Tech                                                                      infrastructure and servicing needs.
                                                           underway and ambitions for greater collaboration with                                                                       The leisure uses and night-time activities are a
City cluster. Residential pressure and rising rents mean   business, industry and academia, particularly across                                                                        key attractor for the area.
that the cluster is now expanding to nearby “overspill”    the engineering, technology and life science sectors.
areas. Within the City Fringe the spread is generally
outwards towards Hackney, Dalston and Whitechapel.

6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         7
Co-working spaces                                                                                                       The Parallel cluster
1.24 An important source of business space for              not always the case. This is likely to be driven by         1.33 The digital economy is characterised by
startups and microbusinesses in the City Fringe is          a combination of increased space needs and the              high-wage, high-skill, labour intensive activity and
typically provided by a third party workspace provider.     requirement for increased privacy, for example to           has substantial multiplier effects. Whilst the Tech City
Also often referred to as “co-working spaces” or            protect higher value intellectual property. This can        cluster has grown, there has been parallel growth in
“hubs” provision typically has an emphasis on flexible      only happen, however, if such space is available and        other sectors fuelled by the presence of new residents,
occupation and collaborative working. By sharing            affordable and the lack of such “grow-on” space could       workers and visitors with relatively high incomes. This
services and facilities costs are kept as low as possible   be a constraint on growth.                                  growth has seen increased employment opportunities
and the relationship is usually one of membership                                                                       for long-term residents of inner East London
rather than tenancy. Different levels of membership         1.29 Many co-working communities were founded               highlighting the potential for tackling persistent
are tailored to needs and budget and range from hot-        by entrepreneurs who understand how start-ups               deprivation.
desking options to separate rooms or even a whole           and small busineses work, and risk is spread across
floor.                                                      the range of membership by offering affordable              Growing institutions and support
                                                            accommodation to self-employed individuals,
1.25 The multi-disciplinary, collaborative nature           homeworkers, more mature microbusinesses and larger,
                                                                                                                        1.34 Several of London’s world class universities are
of these co-working spaces is likely to be important        established SMEs.
                                                                                                                        located nearby and are developing strong relationships
in stimulating the knowledge spillovers between                                                                         with businesses in the area. UCL are now providing
sectors that are so important to the growth of the Tech     1.30 Co-working facilities differ from serviced             support to small businesses in Tech City through
City cluster as digital, marketing, creative and other      accommodation, although demand in the market                allowing digital startups to test their new products
professionals sit side by side and receive ideas and        for hub-type facilities has led to the lines becoming       and services. Queen Mary (QMUL) are seeking to
inspiration from one another.                               blurred as serviced office providers add similar services   establish a stronger presence and further capitalize
                                                            and try to appear more like a co-working space. Service     on the business and research opportunities, such as
1.26 Co-working spaces provide a useful support             office provision has a very clear landlord-tenant           those promoted by the Medi-City initiative. This is a
network that often includes skills enhancement,             relationship.                                               particularly strong opportunity at Whitechapel.
mentoring and business opportunities as well as social
activities. Often the co-working space will be part         1.31 Some larger firms now recognize the social and         1.35 In addition to the growing links between
of a group of such spaces that share ownership and          financial benefits they can derive through allowing part    academic institutions and the digital cluster, specialist
a business model. These groups coalesce as “co-             of their space to become a co-working space. Recent         institutional support is being fostered within Tech City.
working communities” and some have links to the             development proposals include office space aimed at         In 2012 the Open Data Institute (ODI) was founded
local residential community through initiatives such        accommodating co-working space to attract an anchor         with help from the Technology Strategy Board to help
as free workshops, small apprenticeship schemes and         tenant and balance the risk. Some models now even           incubate and nurture new businesses and exploit open
community events.                                           involve balancing the risk by also providing serviced       data for economic growth. large private initiatives have
                                                            office accommodation                                        also been announced. KPMG has stated its intention
1.27 Co-working communities in the City Fringe                                                                          to open an office in Shoreditch with a dedicated
differ in size, business model, structure and space         1.32 A key variable in keeping membership costs             team to support early stage technology companies,
configuration. They range from listed companies, to         down within a given location is how the building was        and technology firm IBM is also bringing its global
social enterprises and even charities. Space availability   acquired and what the associated lease length and cost      entrepreneur program to the area.
and cost will in some cases dictate the professional        is. Over time they get more expensive as development
profile of the members.                                     pressure increases and the lease is unlikely to be
                                                            extended unless tenant can afford much higher rents.
1.28 Successful businesses experiencing high                At this point the building, and associated sunk costs
growth will often seek to graduate from a co-working        on fit-out, are lost.
space and into their own property, although this is

   8                                                                                                                                                                                9
Emerging cluster ecosystem around                           technologies, invention and prototyping. Cycling and
                                                            pedestrian connection to Tech City via Regents Canal,
Tech City                                                   along which many informal networking and leisure
                                                            opportunities are now emerging.
1.36 The Prime Minister’s vision can be said to be
already happening, with clusters emerging organically       1.42 Here East, Olympic Park. Planned centre
or being created/ nurtered in various locations. The        for innovation, education and enterprise in former
continued focus on regenerating East London post-           broadcast centre with dedicated datacentre and
Olympics, increasing public transport delivery and the      excellent digital connectivity. BT Sport, Infinity SDC
availability of development land in the nearby “Arc of      and Loughborough University are already tennants,
opportunity” (the OAs of East London) significantly         and TechHub and Space studios have been signed to
enhance the potential for the Tech City cluster, centred    manage artist and startup facilities.
on the City Fringe OA, to become the driving force for
an enlarged technology hub of global significance that
                                                            1.43 London Bridge/ Southbank. Increasingly
is spread throughout East London.
                                                            significant levels of startup activity, partricularly in the
                                                            tech and creative industries.
1.37 Clerkenwell. A well established cluster
with a particularly high concentration of advertising,
                                                            1.44 Excel centre. Over one million square feet
marketing, communications and branding agencies
                                                            of flexible event space located close to the Siemans
                                                            Crystal and new Crossrail station. Direct link to Digital
1.38 Angel. The most significant town centre                Greenwich via cable car
                                                                                                                           Figure 1.4 London’s science and tech economy, research strengths and Opportunity Areas- roughly alighned with Crossrail
in Islington Borough and a focus for the night time
economy also has a good supply of small offices. Many
                                                            1.45 Digital Greenwich. Co-located with the
small businesses have been attracted to Angel, which
                                                            O2 arena and Ravensbourne College with a quick
has grown in significance recently as a business cluster.
                                                            underground link to central London. Central hub of
                                                            the emerging Greenwich Millenium Village community,
1.39 Kings Cross. Home to Central St. Martins,              which will eventually have around 10,000 homes.
Google and the Crick Institute. Tech, creative and
medical convergence with High Speed rail link to
                                                            1.46 Silvertown Quays. Mixed-use redevelopment
Mainland Europe and underground link to Heathrow
                                                            incorporating the “brand pavillion” concept, co-
                                                            locating sales, R&D and back office functions of major
1.40 Canary Wharf. Europe’s largest financial-tech          tech retailers.
(Fintech) and retail start-up accelorator space situated
on levels 39 and 42 of 1 Canada Tower. Single land-
                                                            1.47 International quarter, Olympic Park. One
owner creates unparrallelled potential for Fintech and
                                                            of the UK’s largest mixed-use schemes incorporating
retail R&D. Proposals for Wood Wharf to accomodate
                                                            approximately four million square feet of office space
tech occupiers as a key part of the future business
                                                            and significant community and civic facilities.
community. New Crossrail station under construction.
                                                            1.48 Westfield Stratford. New shopping centre
1.41 Hackney Wick. Many lower value creative
                                                            sited on large transport terminus as part of the
uses, some displaced from core areas of Tech City
                                                            Stratford City regeneration. Aims to set standards in
contributing to Europes largest concentration of
                                                            innovation and early uptake of retail technology.
fine artists. Many SMEs and microbusinesses and
a significant “maker community”- small-scale
manufactureres with a focus on unique applications of

                                                                                                                           Figure 1.5 Existing and Emerging science and tech economy clusters in and around the City Fringe, with Crossrail and other
                                                                                                                           recently delevered transport infrastructure
10                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   11
The vision and objectives                                    benefit planning can bring that will facilitate continued
                                                             growth and expansion of Tech City. The vision is:
1.49 Tech City’s role as innovation and start-up hub
for the knowledge economy in London is strategicaly                  “Enabling the business cluster to continue to
significant. Tech City UK and London & Partners have                  grow as a mix of large corporations, SMEs,
remits that specifically include assisting growth in the              micro businesses and start-ups and become
sector.                                                               the innovation hub driving growth in London
                                                                      and the UK’s the digital economy, while
                                                                      delivering housing and other supporting uses
1.50 Tech City UK (initially Tech City Investment
                                                                      such as retail and leisure. ”
Organisation) is part of UK Trade and Industry (UKTI)
and was initially set up to assist in accelerating digital
businesses in Tech City. This was later widened to a UK-     1.55 These are five objectives in order to achieve
wide remit with a focus on:                                  this vision:

•        Forging partnerships across the ecosystem that      •        Ensuring there is the space for continued
         provide entrepreneurs with extended reach                    business growth in City Fringe

•        Championing the digital and technology              •        Striking the appropriate balance between
         industry in the UK and internationally                       residential and commercial development

•        Informing policy makers at senior levels of         •        Supporting the mix of uses that makes
         Government about the needs of the digital                    City Fringe special
         entrepreneur
                                                             •        Identifying the key strategic development
•        Piloting programmes to increase the growth of                sites
         digital entrepreneurship
                                                             •        Connecting the City Fringe
1.51 London & Partners is a not-for-profit public
private partnership, funded by the Mayor and a               1.56 Each chapter relates to one or more objectives
network of commercial partners. It was set up in             and sets out the background to each issue, then sets
2011 to attract investment and visitor spend, in turn        out the strategies that will deliver each objective.
creating jobs and growth, build London’s international       In addition there is a chapter that sets out how the
reputation preserves its global position.                    document will be implemented, with additional
                                                             strategies to assist in this.
1.52 London & Partners work to attract foreign
direct investment (FDI), capital investment into             Strategy 1 - The City Fringe as a
regeneration projects; and help London businesses
to win business overseas. They open up direct access
                                                             planning boundary
to expert and experienced professionals, who advise
and guide overseas companies through every aspect            1.57 The City Fringe OA is the subject of strategic
of locating and doing business in London. They also          policies set out in the London Plan and the Local Plan
promote London to overseas business expanding                policies of the London Boroughs of Islington, Hackney
into the UK or Europe - from start-ups to established        and Tower Hamlets. This document aims to give
international companies.                                     guidance on how these policies can be applied in order
                                                             to best deliver the agreed vision and objectives. In
                                                             order to ensure a consistent approach across the three
1.53 Tech City UK and London & Partners have
                                                             boroughs and provide a basis for the implementation
complementary remits and together they address non-
                                                             of these policies and the City Fringe OAPF an
planning issues. The Mayor sets out in this document
                                                             indicative planning boundary has been agreed. This
what the planning system can do to assist.
                                                             boundary is shown in figure 1.6 and consists of the
                                                             core growth area and the wider, largely residential
1.54 The City Fringe OAPF takes this forward and is
                                                             hinterland of the City Fringe OA. This boundary should
a growth focussed document aiming to maximize any
                                                             formally adopted in Local Plans.

                                                                                                                         Figure 1.6 The Core and Hinterland areas of the City Fringe OA
    12                                                                                                                                                                                    13
Ensuring space
           for continued
                            2
                 growth

     Contents

     •    The mix of business in the City Fringe
     •    Analysis of the property market
     •    Types of space being used
     •    Supply of space
     •    Demand forecasts and comparison with
          supply
     •    Strategy 2: Protecting a quantum of floorspace
          needed for growth

14                                                 15
2 Ensuring space for continued growth

The mix of businesses in the City                           Analysis of property market
                                                                                                                                                                         Dalston
Fringe
                                                            2.5       In order to support and inform the preparation
2.1      The London Plan recognizes the need to             process, a detailed property market appraisal has                        Canalside
support London’s distinctive economic clusters and          been carried out. The operations, opportunities
                                                            and challenges reflected in the property market are
to protect and enhance the supply of offices where
there is evidence of sustained demand. There have           considered in order to identify the main planning                                                                                  Hackney
been structural changes in the past decade with             related issues facing the City Fringe in its role as a
small businesses becoming more important to both            place of work. The property market appraisal addresses
London and the UK economies. There have also been           knowledge gaps acknowledges that the City Fringe
significant changes in the way office space is used,        includes a wide range of businesses at different points
with new technologies and working practices offering        in their life cycle, includes multiple sub-sectors, with a
new opportunities and blurring the distinction between      range of occupier and property requirements. There is
office based work and light industry.                       also a wide spectrum of rent levels and lease lengths
                                                            being sought. Supporting key areas of the cluster
2.2      This document notes the growth of the Tech         with the right workspaces and the right locations is
City cluster and seeks to reinforce and promulgate          important, but so is flexibility to allow the cluster to
the catalysts for this growth. The primary aim of the       grow and develop. The findings of the property market
OAPF is therefore to create a positive environment for      appraisal help inform the strategies of this document.                                                         Shoreditch
employment growth in the City Fringe.
                                                                                                                         Angel                                             East
                                                            2.6     The basic underlying approach of the property
2.3      The knowledge intensive, business to business      market appraisal was to consider the characteristics                                       Shoreditch
(B2B) firms in the Tech City cluster are typically not      of the business cluster and likely demand, and of the                St’ Lukes             West
limited to selling their goods and services locally but     property market and likely supply. In order to allow a
over the internet, to a fast-growing global market.         systematic assessment of the key issues the following
                                                            were considered:
Their success provides strong conditions locally for                                                                                                                     Spitalfields
the important business to customer (B2C) firms which
make up the “the parallel cluster” and help drive the       •       Types of space                                                                                                           Whitechapel
continued attractiveness of the area.
                                                            •       Supply of space
2.4      There is also evidence that larger corporations
are relocating house employees that are specifically        •       Demand forecasts and comparison with supply
focused on digital-media related activity in the
                                                            •       Viability and competition with residential
City Fringe. This offers the potential for knowledge
spillover, innovation and recruitment due to proximity              development                                          Clerkenwell                                            Aldgate
to other workers in the same field. The rich, innovative
mix of small businesses and entrepreneurs is an
attractor for the larger corporates. This emerging mix
of the very large and the small is therefore likely to be
a very important aspect of the ongoing development
of the cluster.

                                                                                                                         0    0.25   0.5           1            1.5            2
                                                                                                                                                                                Kilometers
                                                                                                                                                                                                           ¯
                                                                                                                         Figure 2.1 City Fringe boundary divided into sub-market areas
16                                                                                                                                                                                                         17
Types of space being used                                                                                           Supply of space                                               Demand forecasts and comparison
                                                                                                                                                                                  with supply
2.7     There are five broad typologies of commercial                                                               2.8       The City Fringe is clearly a place in transition.
space in the City Fringe, which are useful in                                                                       High demand for housing in central areas has seen             2.11 Demand forecasting looked at short, medium
considering the differing occupiers and their needs.                                                                employment land being converted to residential use            and long-term demand in low, medium and high
These are:                                                                                                          in areas like Aldgate. Although there remains strong          growth scenarios. The potential net additional demand
                                                                                                                    demand for office space in the core growth area               between 2013 and 2023 was forecast at between
•       Artist’s studios. Typically under 93 sqm (1,000      •   Start-up and other SME space. Also up to           around Shoreditch, new development is constrained to          around 288,000sqm and 385,000 sqm. Strength of
        sqft). per unit but usually grouped together as          372 sqm, this covers the smallest individual       the north by large areas of social housing and to the         demand can be broken into three categories and this is
        a collection of unit in larger buildings centrally       business units that are no co-working spaces       south by new office development in the City. The more         shown on the “demand map” in Chapter 3. Projected
        managed. Artist studios laid the foundations             or artist studios.                                 peripheral areas of the City Fringe have subsequently         demand exceeds supply in the short term across the
        for the creative, and then digital-creative                                                                 become increasingly important sources of small space          City Fringe, indicating a supply-constrained market and
        cluster when vacant buildings in the area were       •   Grow-on space. This is space occupied by           for start-ups- especially around Whitechapel. Demand          highlighting the important role planning can have.
        initially colonized in the 1970s and 80s. More           growing businesses who have typically              for smaller space is increasing but the availability of
        recently there has been a generally movement             graduated from smaller space and is between        space, including new build, is skewed towards larger          2.12 Over the medium and long term there is
        away from the core growth areas into the                 372 and 2,787 sqm (4,000 and 30,000 sqft).         floorplates. Large floorplate city office users have          potential to meet much of the projected demand
        hinterland and beyond. Hackney Wick,                     There is a relatively scattered provision of       expanded south and east into Aldgate, Shoreditch west         through intensification of under developed sites and
        between the City Fringe and the Olympic Park             this, housed in a diverse range of spaces and      and Spitalfields.This mismatch between supply and             through comprehensive redevelopment of Local Plan
        has a particularly high concentration of artist’s        locations across City Fringe.                      demand means that office rents are rising rapidly and         sites. Analysis of the permissions granted so far on
        studios now.                                                                                                there is a short-term shortage of supply particularly in      Local Plan sites, however, found that sites designated
                                                             •   Corporate office space. This is for the largest    the core growth area.                                         for employment use have been granted permissions
•       Co-working space. Typically up to 372 sqm                occupiers of office space and is space over                                                                      for other uses, predominantly residential. This may
        (4,000 sqft) and an important source of space            2,787 sqm (30,000 sqft). These offices are         2.9      The supply pipeline is constrained in the short      mean that the potential for Local Plan to meet future
        for start-ups and microbusinesses. Initially a           usually large floorplate flexible space offering   term (to around 2016) but there are some large office         demand for employment floorspace in the City Fringe
        small cluster concentrated on Shoreditch, this           Grade A quality offices. The expansion of the      buildings scheduled for completion over the medium            is overestimated.
        is now moving outwards on an east-west axis              City has brought more of these uses into parts     term. Development activity was suppressed by the
        and will continue to grow with high demand               of the City Fringe.                                2007 global financial crisis but interest has now picked
        for affordable space                                                                                        up strongly indicating a step-change in demand from
                                                                                                                    past trends. The total amount of floorspace (all uses)
                                                                                                                    scheduled for completion in the City Fringe between
                                                                                                                    2013 and 2018 is almost ten times higher than the
                                                                                                                    five-year historical average.

                                                                                                                    2.10 The majority of the potential future supply of
                                                                                                                    new B Class employment floorspace is located within
                                                                                                                    sites designated in Local Plans by the boroughs.
                                                                                                                    Although this would seem to provide scope for
                                                                                                                    growth of the office stock over the medium to long
                                                                                                                    term, many planning permissions come forward with
                                                                                                                    lower levels of employment use than outlined in
                                                                                                                    policy. Furthermore once a planning permission is
                                                                                                                    secured, the site often becomes the subject of revised
                                                                                                                    planning applications which seek to reduce levels
                                                                                                                    of employment floorspace. Should the incidence of
                                                                                                                    this practice increase then the levels of employment
                                                                                                                    floorspace actually built may be significantly lower
                                                                                                                    than in the currently assumed pipeline.

18                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     19
Strategy 2: Protecting a quantum of workspace needed to facilitate
growth
A.   PD Exemption                    B.    Core growth and residential                                               C. affordable space at the core of                           D. Provision of employment
                                     hinterland                                                                      Tech City                                                    floorspace in new development
2.13 The mayor has assessed that as of April 2013,
new permitted development rights would likely have
                                                                                                                                                                                  (including mixed-use development)
                                                           2.14 The core growth areas of the City Fringe are         2.15       Much of the growth associated with the
led to the unplanned loss of significant employment        where there will need to be a continued supply of (B      digital-creative cluster occurred because of the             2.16 The Mayor supports proposals for new B Class
floorpace in the core growth areas of the City Fringe      Class in the Use Classes Order) employment floorspace.    availability of affordable, second hand office or light      employment space, including the redevelopment of
(Tech City), causing significant harm to future business   This is not to say that demand and the appropriate        industrial stock in the City Fringe. A continued increase    existing low value workspace outside of those already
growth in the area. An exemption has therefore been        level of supply will be even throughout the core areas,   in demand for secondary office space is highly likely        identified in Canalside, Shoreditch and Spitalfields.
granted in recognition that it could otherwise have        or that provision of employment space is inappropriate    and it is beneficial to the future growth prospects of       For sites in the core growth areas the applicant
been to the detriment of a nationally significant area     in the largely residential hinterland. Further work has   Tech City to protect some of this space in the most in       should seek to incorporate an equivalent amount of
of economic activity. It should be noted that this         already been undertaken and specific detail given with    demand but vulnerable areas. These are areas where           affordable workspace that is flexible and/or suitable
exemption also covers the Central Activities Zone, Isle    regard to Site Allocations- shown on the map. The         residential demand is high but there is a relatively large   for occupation by micro and small enterprises.
of Dogs and Royal Docks Enterprise Zone. Figure 2.2        broad levels of employment floorspace expected from       concentration of secondary office stock close to the         Developers are encouraged to look at existing models
shows the extent of the City Fringe area covered by        development in the different areas is explored in more    core growth area. These areas are (See map) Canalside,       of workspace that are designed to house a range
the exemption.                                             detail in Chapter 3.                                      Shoreditch East and Spitalfields.                            of business sizes from startups to anchor tenant,
                                                                                                                                                                                  therefore balancing the risk to the landlord. Applicants
                                                                                                                                                                                  are required to submit a detailed explanation of how
                                                                                                                                                                                  the workspace is to be managed post-construction
                                                                                                                                                                                  and, where appropriate, evidence of agreement to
                                                                                                                                                                                  lease the workspace to a Workspace Provider. This
                                                                                                                                                                                  should include confirmation from the Workspace
                                                                                                                                                                                  Provider of willingness to manage the shell and core, to
                                                                                                                                                                                  an agreed specification, on concessionary lease terms
                                                                                                                                                                                  which will allow the space to be let to end users at
                                                                                                                                                                                  economic rents. Applicants should engage Workspace
                                                                                                                                                                                  providers at the earliest opportunity in the evolution
                                                                                                                                                                                  of proposals and actively involve them in the pre-
                                                                                                                                                                                  application process in order to address issues of design
                                                                                                                                                                                  and management early and satisfy the local authority
                                                                                                                                                                                  that floorspace will be useable and viable for use by
                                                                                                                                                                                  micro and small enterprises. A map and accompanying
                                                                                                                                                                                  list of workspace providers is kept up-to-date on the
                                                                                                                                                                                  GLA website at:

                                                                                                                                                                                  •       https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/
                                                                                                                                                                                          business-economy/for-business/business-
                                                                                                                                                                                          support/london-workspaces

                                                                                                                                                                                  2.17 Where an end-user has not been identified,
                                                                                                                                                                                  employment floorspace should be well designed, high
                                                                                                                                                                                  quality and incorporate a range of unit sizes and types
                                                                                                                                                                                  that are flexible, with good natural light, suitable
                                                                                                                                                                                  for sub-division and configuration for new uses and
                                                                                                                                                                                  activities. This should include units for occupation
                                                                                                                                                                                  by small or independent commercial enterprises and
                                                                                                                                                                                  consideration should be given to providing “grow-on”
                                                                                                                                                                                  space, between 372 and 2,787 sqm (4,000 and 30,000
                                                                                                                                                                                  sqft).

20                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     21
Figure 2.2 Area exempted from changes to Permitted Development April 2013   Figure 2.3 Map of core and hinterland areas, area where secondary office space is desireable and with Site Allocations
       22                                                                                                                                                                                            23
3
                  Striking the
                      balance

     Contents

     •    Viability and competition with residential
          development
     •    Strategy 3: Striking the balance between
          employment and residential

24                                               25
3 Striking the balance

Viability and competition with
residential development
3.1      The difference in value between commercial         much of it- including the new areas into which it is
and residential land use in the City Fringe has             expanding, is not. Further reviews of the London Plan
put considerable pressure on commercial space-              will consider the scope for extending the CAZ.
particularly at the affordable end of the spectrum.
Residential development can present potential issues        3.4        Demand for residential space is strong and
with servicing and late operation in established            this is likely to continue. This strong demand is
employment areas and with residential land typically        driven by some of the same factors as the rise of the
being subject to long leaseholds such areas are unlikely    digital-creative cluster and the past decade has seen a
to revert to commercial regardless of future economic       significant increase in the numbers of affluent young
conditions. The City Corporation have, for many years,      households moving to inner east London. The market
used planning policy to tightly control land-use and        for new build in inner London is also partly driven by
ensure that the City continues to operate as a hugely       demand from buy to let, overseas investors and buyers
succesful business location.                                often agreeing to purchase units well in advance
                                                            of completion. The annualized rate of house price
3.2      The London Plan encourages mixed-use               increase in the City Fringe is around 2% higher than
development, recognising that London’s economic             the London average and residential prices are markedly
growth depends heavily on an efficient labour market,       higher than the capitalised values achieved on recent
which in turn requires adequate housing provision           office transactions.
that could also sustain other uses nearby. Local and
strategic mixed-use polices aimed at reprovision of         3.5      Even allowing for factors such as extraordinary
lost commercial space in the City Fringe area have,         costs associated with changing the built fabric, the
however, had limited success. Issues encountered            market outlook and landlord aspirations, it is expected
include commercial space which fails to respond             that where possible the redevelopment of employment
adequately to demand and therefore is not marketable.       land for residential use will remain an issue over the
This can then be unoccupied and become vulnerable           short and long term in all but the prime office market.
to conversion to residential at a later date. Discussion
around viability and marketability may be failing to        3.6      Canalside appears to be a location where
take into account the changing and cyclical nature          redevelopment of prime office stock into residential is
of office provision in the City Fringe. The risk is that    viable. For less valuable secondary office stock the area
poorly designed workspace and short-term focused            is wider and includes Shoreditch as well as Canalside,
marketing assessments threaten to limit space available     where residential values are highest. This is a concern
for expansion of economic activities.                       as the secondary rent offices are the most attractive to
                                                            the start-ups and SMEs that form a key element of the
3.3       In recognition that mixed-use housing and         business ecosystem of Tech City and the City Fringe.
commercial redevelopment can sometimes compromise           These areas are also where demand for office space is
broader economic objectives, such as sustaining key         outstripping supply.
clusters of business activity, the London Plan provides
for exceptions to its on-site mixed-use policy. These
exceptions currently apply when a case can be made
in the CAZ or the Northern Isle of Dogs and they still
result in the provision of extra housing off-site instead
of on-site. While some of Tech City is within the CAZ,

26                                                                                                                      27
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