1. DETAILS OF THE DEVELOPMENT. Ref: N/A. Location: East Wick, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Ward: Wick. Description: Amendment to consented scheme.

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1 1. DETAILS OF THE DEVELOPMENT Ref: N/A Location: East Wick, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Ward: Wick Description: Amendment to consented scheme. Applicant: Agent: N/A Case Officer: Will Teasdale/Gareth Barnett 2. BACKGROUND The proposed development is being reported to Planning Sub Committee to enable members to view it at an early stage and to make provisional comments. The formal application will be submitted to the LLDC in February and the Council will be a statutory consultee; as such any comments made are of a provisional nature only and will not prejudice the final outcome of any planning application submitted for formal determination. 3. PLANNING HISTORY The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) secured outline planning permission for the Legacy Communities Scheme (LCS) in The scheme covers all of the potential development zones across the Olympic site, with the potential for nearly 7,000 residential units and associated commercial and community space to be delivered. The first phase of development at Chobham Manor in Newham (on the site of the 2012 Basketball arena) is currently being planned and brought forward by Taylor Wimpey and L&Q. The LLDC is now looking to accelerate delivery of the second phase, comprising East Wick (in Hackney) and Sweetwater (in Tower Hamlets). There is potential for approximately 1,500 residential units across these two development zones, as well as two new primary schools, commercial space 1

2 in addition to the icity development - and community facilities. The East Wick zone, also known as Planning Delivery Zone 5 (PDZ5) has potential capacity for approximately 870 homes. Development east of Waterden Road the crescent The LCS was determined by the Olympic Delivery Authority s planning committee. The ODA committee reconciled to reduce the size of the East Wick development parcels to the east of Waterden Road, also known as the crescent, through planning condition, following an objection from the Council s planning committee. The condition requires a reduction in width of 15m along the length of the development parcels facing Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (QEOP), with the intention of increasing the amount of useable parkland. The effect of the condition is shown in Figure 1 at the end of this briefing note. The amount of additional parkland resulting from the application of the condition is 0.85ha. 4. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT The LLDC is now seeking to reinstate the originally applied for size of the development parcels east of Waterden Road, highlighting the following objectives and benefits: - Increasing the amount of family housing from 49% to 64% of units, an additional 130 family sized units - Increasing the mix of housing types, including an additional 70 houses - Increasing the amount of commercial B1 space from 5,300m 2 to 9,000m 2 - Increasing the number of people living in East Wick, providing a critical mass to support services, including the school, shops and park as well as helping create an active and safe public realm. Parameters, such as the minimum and maximum height of development are not proposed to change. The visual links and distance from Hackney Wick to the north and south entrances of the north park do not change with this revision. The north park of QEOP is 25.5ha in total area, including over 9ha on the Hackney side of the River Lea. Reinstating the development parcels reduces the potential area of the north park by 0.85ha, or 3% of the total area. These figures do not include the south park of QEOP, which will open in April, or the canal park which will run alongside the Lea Navigation canal in Hackney and Tower Hamlets. The Hackney part of the canal park is approximately 2ha in size and will be completed in late The LLDC s design proposals have been reviewed by the LLDC s Quality Review Panel and the Council s Design Review Panel. Both panels believe there are sound, logical design arguments to remove the 15m setback condition and reinstate the originally proposed development parcels. Bringing forward the development phasing accelerated delivery 2

3 The LLDC s planning submission will also cover a variation to the consented phasing for the development of East Wick. The East Wick development was anticipated to be delivered by the late 2020s; however, the intention is to bring this forward with development commencing in late 2015 and completing in the early 2020s. The LLDC is running a parallel procurement process to select a development partner; this will conclude in the autumn. Housing tenure The LLDC is exploring the opportunity to deliver a significant amount of private rented housing in place of some of the private-for-sale housing up to 50% of the private housing delivered could be for rent. The impact of delivering private rented housing, as well as bringing the development phasing forward is a reduction in development value. LLDC is, therefore, seeking to re-negotiate the target proportion of affordable housing across East Wick from 38% to 29%, which indicatively means a reduction from 336 to 254 affordable units. The LLDC is not looking to revise the consented minimum proportion of affordable housing in East Wick, which remains at 25%. The proposed split for affordable housing also remains as consented at 30% social rent, 30% affordable rent, 40% intermediate. Relevant context The East Wick development does not incorporate the plans for icity which are currently being determined and were presented to the planning committee earlier in the month. icity will deliver 115,000m 2 of commercial space. The Council and LLDC are working on plans to deliver the East Wick primary school. This does form part of the East Wick development, but is intended to be brought forward ahead of the wider development; phased opening is targeted from September The design parameters for the East Wick development parcels west of Waterden Road are unchanged by the LLDC s current proposals. Since the LCS was approved, the LLDC has secured permission for, and delivered, the revised layout of Waterden Road, reducing the width from four lanes to two. This was supported by the Council and addresses one of the Council s planning committee s objections to the original LCS submission. In 2012, the LLDC, working closely with the Council and owner/operator Lea Valley Regional Park Authority, secured permission to revise the layout for the road cycle circuit. This is now being delivered and increases the area of open parkland in the Hackney part of the north QEOP by 0.75ha, also increasing access to the riverfront and towpath. This addresses another of the Council s planning committee s objections to the original LCS submission. 5. MATERIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS The Council s adopted Core Strategy and Hackney Wick Area Action Plan establish the policy context for the East Wick development, with the LLDC 3

4 currently preparing its Local Plan which will supersede these documents once adopted. - The AAP indicates that the whole AAP area (east and west of the canal) could accommodate 1,586 new homes as well as 134,337m 2 of nonresidential uses. The AAP indicates that 882 residential units and 18,419m 2 of non-residential space (excluding icity) can be delivered in East Wick. The majority of this development is identified for west of Waterden Road. - The icity development will deliver 115,000m 2 non-residential space, with the revised East Wick proposal delivering a further 19,000m 2, including B1, A1-5 and D1 floorspace. The LLDC s East Wick development proposes 870 residential units. - In the Council s Core Strategy, the area east of Waterden Road is covered by three policy designations: Strategic Industrial Land (SIL) Industrial Business Park, Other Industrial Area (OIA) and Potential Open Space forming part of the Lea Valley Regional Park. - The open space defined in the Core Strategy is not designated as Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). The AAP indicates that it is the Council s intention to designate the open space as MOL in a future revision of the Core Strategy. - The AAP outlines the potential for family housing in the OIA designated area, advocating housing as part of employment-led mixed use, to overlook the park as long as design and amenity standards can be achieved. The AAP acknowledges the constrained plot depth established by the Core Strategy. - The consented East Wick scheme for east of Waterden Road with the 15m setback overlaps each of these policy designations. The LLDC s Local Plan is currently out to consultation. The consultation draft sets out the following proposals for the East Wick area: - Redefinition of the SIL boundary to reflect the extent of the icity development. - Align the affordable housing requirements with the London Plan: a target of 35% affordable housing, split 60% affordable rent, 40% intermediate, with no requirement for social rent provision. - Designate the north park of QEOP as MOL, excluding the area of the crescent development. Figure 1 4

5 Originally submitted LCS layout east of Waterden Road including original cycle circuit and park layout 5

6 Consented scheme with 15m setback. New proposed scheme with reinstated development parcels. Note: new layout for the north park and cycle circuit which is currently under construction 6