The Planning Applications Sub-Committee of the City of London Corporation met on 28 October 2025 to consider planning applications. The Sub-Committee was scheduled to discuss an application for the erection of a self-build single storey dwelling with detached single storey garage and gardens on Baltic Street West and to review the minutes of a prior meeting. They were also scheduled to note valid planning applications received by the Environment Department, and delegated decisions of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

Baltic Street West

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to consider a report from the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director regarding an application for permission in principle for the erection of a self-build single storey dwelling with detached single storey garage and gardens on the existing paved pedestrian open space with two mature trees to be retained at Baltic Street West, which is on the south side of Hatfield House, originally constructed as part of the Golden Lane Estate.

The report noted that there are two stages to the permission in principle process:

• Stage 1: application for permission in principle, under which only the principle of development can be considered
• Stage 2: technical details consent

The relevant matters which pertain to the principle of development (Stage 1) in this instance are the proposed land use, location and the amount of development permitted. The report stated that no detailed drawings have been provided showing the intended location of the dwelling or the proposed layout, and that this is not a requirement at this stage of the permission in principle process.

The report stated that the site comprises an area of publicly accessible land containing two mature trees which the application states would be retained as part of this proposal, although no supporting information as to how this can be achieved has been provided.

The assessment undertaken in the report concluded that the proposed development is objectionable in principle due to the land use, location and amount of development being unacceptable.

The report noted that 14 letters of objection and 1 supporting comment had been received.

The report recommended that the Planning and Development Director be authorised to issue a decision notice refusing permission in principle for the proposal, as the proposed land use of the site as a private residential dwelling with a parking garage would be unacceptable in principle as it would result in the loss of public open space and would fail to be car free. The report stated that this would be contrary to several policies including:

• Policies G4¹ and T6.1² of The London Plan 2021
• Policies CS19³, DM16.2⁴ and DM16.5⁵ of the Local Plan 2015
• Policies S14⁶, OS1⁷ and VT3⁸ of the emerging City Plan 2040.

The report also stated that the proposed location and amount of development would be unacceptable in principle as it would likely:

• have an unacceptable impact on the character and appearance of the area by failing to respect the urban grain, layout, scale and building lines of the existing street scene
• cause less than substantial harm to the Grade II Listed Hatfield House and slight levels of harm to the Golden Lane Estate Registered Park and Garden and Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area which cannot be outweighed by the public benefits of the proposals
• have an unacceptable impact upon the health and longevity of the two mature trees which occupy the site
• have a unacceptable impact with regard to road dangers and the pedestrian environment
• result in poor residential amenity to the existing dwellings on the lower floors of Hatfield House and to the proposed dwelling

The report stated that this would be contrary to several policies including:

• Policies D3⁹, G7¹⁰ and HC1¹¹ of The London Plan 2021
• Policies CS10¹², CS12¹³, CS19, CS21¹⁴ DM10.1¹⁵, DM12.1¹⁶, DM12.5¹⁷, DM16.1¹⁸ and DM21.1¹⁹ of the Local Plan 2015
• Policies S3²⁰, S8²¹, S9²², S10²³, S11²⁴, DE2²⁵, DE3²⁶, HS1²⁷, OS5²⁸, and HE1²⁹ of the emerging City Plan 2040.

Public Comments

The Sub-Committee were provided with a document containing the public comments that had been received about the application. These included comments from Mr David Butcher, Mr Roland Jeffery, Mrs Noreen Kay, El Perry, Mr Alex Mosey, Mr Iain Meek, Paul Drinkwater, Miss Sarah Batty-Smith, Raymond Hamilton, Pablo Abellan, and Mr Andrew Gault.

Internal Statutory Comments

The Sub-Committee were provided with a document containing the internal statutory comments that had been received about the application. These included comments from City Gardens and Highways.

External Statutory Comments

The Sub-Committee were provided with a document containing the external statutory comments that had been received about the application. These included comments from Historic England, Islington Borough Council, and the Golden Lane Estate Residents Association.

Historic England stated that they object to the application, as the proposals would cause harm to the Grade II listed Hatfield House and the Golden Lane Estate.

Historic England considers these proposals to be harmful to Hatfield House and the Golden Lane Estate and recommends that your authority refuse planning permission. Although further information is required to make a thorough assessment of the impact of proposed buildings- the principle of any substantial structure in this location would cause unnecessary harm to the architectural significance of the Golden lane Estate and Hatfield House. Historic England

Islington Borough Council stated that they have concerns about the proposed development, as the proposed new dwellinghouse and detached garage would be located in a prominent position on Baltic Street West, and the submission claims that the two mature trees would be retained but there is no information on how the development would affect these trees and how these trees would be protected. Furthermore, the site is within the setting of two of Islington's conservation areas: the St Luke's Conservation Area and the Hat & Feathers Conservation Area (both located immediately to the north on the Islington side of Baltic Street).

The Golden Lane Estate Residents Association stated that they object to the planning application for the following reasons:

• The land on which the house is proposed forms part of the Golden Lane Estate, and is described in the lease plan as a communal garden area. The development would cause a significant loss of residential amenity for residents of the estate but also of residents in other flats on Baltic Street and COLPAI school.
• The area on which a house is proposed includes two important mature trees that provide a green canopy with roots that extend under the whole area. There is significant risk of ecological damage. It is not realistically possible to build on the site without disrupting and potentially killing these mature trees which would negatively affect the local wildlife and biodiversity, the green corridor they create, the pollution levels and look and feel of Baltic Street West.
• The site is used by the COLPAI school as an assembly point for pupils and staff during fire alarms. It was used by rescue services to attend a tragic fire in a Hatfield House flat. A house in this location could affect emergency access to Hatfield House and the school.
• The proposed house will impact on Grade II listed Golden Lane Estate. In the words of the City of London's Golden Lane Listed Building Management Guidelines (2013), Hatfield House occupies a particularly important place in the design of the estate, as it forms the Northern Boundary . It was designed as an open forecourt and communal garden in front of Hatfield House and to change this by building on it would cause significant harm to the visual impact of the estate and fundamentally change the design and aspect of the listed buildings and landscape.
• The proposed garage would be against City of London's car-free development policy and would require vehicles reversing onto Baltic Street West which is a busy cul-de-sac, ,used for servicing the school and Golden Lane estate as well as the businesses on Baltic Street West.
• The proposed dwelling would be just 5 metres from the windows of lower ground flats within Hatfield House and cause loss of privacy and daylight for neighbouring flats. It would create a sense of enclosure and block light into these flats, and those on ground level which would negatively affect the wellbeing of residents, which include elderly and vulnerable people.

Approval of Minutes

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 30 September 2025.