Dear all,

There is a lot of news in this email as it is clear development has really picked up in the last month. But the most urgent news is below.

Westferry Printworks approval
The Secretary of State Robert Jenrick MP last week approved the larger Westferry Printworks planning application. This raises a number of profound issues for us locally not least because the Minister has overturned his own Inspectors Recommendations which was to refuse the application in line with the wishes of Tower Hamlets Council, the GLA and Greenwich Council. There are also issues related to Community Infrastructure Levy and the % of Affordable Housing, these will be explained more fully in a future email.

Last Wednesday night Councillors voted unanimously to approve an emergency motion which ended with this sentence:
"Condemns the unilateral decision taken by the Secretary of State and to ask Council officers to examine what options are available to the Council to challenge this decision, including the option of a judicial review."

Below is a statement from Mayor John Biggs
You can read the Ministers decision + the Inspectors Report  here

Strategic Development Committee meeting 6.30pm Thursday 23rd January
Tomorrow in the Council Chamber, 1st Floor, Town Hall, Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, London, E14 2BG

The Committee will be considering or voting on:

Quay House, Admirals Way, London, E14 3A (PA/19/01462) - hotel and serviced apartments on Marsh Wall
Fiftieth Floor, 1 Canada Square, London, E14 5AA (PA/19/02217) - converting office space into UCL business studies centre
North Quay, Canary Wharf - pre-application presentation (PF/19/00247) - for the 1st time the Committee will be looking at a planning application BEFORE it is submitted. This gives them the opportunity to ask questions and influence the design before an application is formally submitted. 
 
The agenda and more information is in the link here

ASDA Planning Meeting Monday 3rd February 7-9pm Calders Wharf
Together with residents and the St Johns Residents Association we will be holding a public meeting to discuss the ASDA planning application on Monday 3rd February 2020 7pm-9pm at Calders Wharf, 4A Saunders Ness Rd, Isle of Dogs, E14 3PS next to the entrance to the Greenwich foot tunnel

Blackwall Way Reuters Car Park (see flyer below)
Public consultation on the development of the car park site between Blackwall Way and the Thames
They will be holding public consultation events at the Virginia Quays Community Centre, 27-35 Sexton Court, Newport Avenue, E14 2DU, on the following dates:
Wednesday 29th January 2020 (between 4-8pm)
Saturday 1st February (12.30-4.30pm).

More information in the link and below in the pictures.
https://blackwallyard.co.uk

Barkantine Liveable Streets Consultation
This is a Tower Hamlets Council consultation on a number of proposed changes to streets between Cuba/Manilla/Byng/Tiller/Alpha Grove/Westferry roads. It proposes a number of changes including closing parts of Byng and Cuba street as well as making some streets like Strafford street and Alpha Grove one way.
The consultation started Monday and lasts until the 19th of February
Click here for more information and to access the online consultation
https://www.pclconsult.co.uk/liveablestreetsbarkantine/consultation

You can speak with the Council at one of their drop-in events:
• Thursday 30th January, 5pm – 7pm at the Barkantine Hall, 12 The Quarterdeck, Millwall, London E14 8SJ
• Saturday 1st February, 10am – 12noon at the Barkantine Hall, 12 The Quarterdeck, Millwall, London E14 8SJ

We will also be discussing this tonight at the Canary Wharf Safer Neighborhood Ward Panel meeting at St Lukes Church Millwall, Alpha Grove, E14 8LH 7-9pm Wednesday 22nd January. It is a public meeting.

You can also email the Council at liveablestreets@towerhamlets.gov.uk

2 Trafalgar Way (MacDonalds restaurant site)
The public consultation is now complete but in the link below are the presentation boards from the event for you to read.
They plan to build 1,600 rooms for UCL students & 70 apartments for UCL staff in three towers and rebuild the MacDonalds restaurant.
It will be up to 46 storeys high. See the pictures below. More information in the links below:
http://2trafalgarway.co.uk
The presentation boards from the public meeting are here:
http://2trafalgarway.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Urbanest.TrafalgarWay.A1Boards.20.01.20.pdf

Billingsgate Fish Market update
CBRE has been appointed to help advise Tower Hamlets on what to do with the site if the fish market does move to Barking.
It is currently owned by Tower Hamlets Council and leased to the City of London for 99 years from 1981
It is the largest publicly owned developable site in Tower Hamlets.

Regulation 16 Consultation on the Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Plan
As a reminder the Forum will hold public drop-in events at the Canary Wharf Ideas store, Churchill Place, E14 5RB Lab 3 behind Waitrose on:

Thursday 6th February 2020 2pm-4pm 
Saturday 8th February 2020 3-5pm 
Thursday 13th February 2020 6-8pm

Please come along if you have any questions on the Neighbourhood Plan or anything else.