What were the planning challenges that HTA Planning overcame?
The redevelopment of Queen Elizabeth Hospital presented an interesting planning challenge in that the land value of the site pre-determined a density that had to be achieved on this urban redevelopment site – which was challenging. Working with our design teams, the planning task was to demonstrate a residential development meeting the highest design quality standards. Significant work had to be undertaken with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to ensure the original hospital building did not get listed. By retaining the façade of the original hospital building a much more efficient residential building form could be achieved. The site has a rich local history and its redevelopment sparked a lot of interest amongst local residents – many of whom had memories of having visited it at some point in the past. It was evident that the heights proposed were seen as challenging but through a workshop based approached with urban design and planning officers at Tower Hamlets the expression of elevations were developed so as to minimise impact on the adjoining Hackney City Farm and the skyline. HTA Planning led the pre-application process for this exciting development and drafted the Planning Statement.
