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RESOLVED:
 
1. Adopt the Hackney Central Town Centre
Strategy (as set out in Appendix 1) as the Council’s
regeneration framework for Hackney Central town centre.
 
2. Agrees to accept £19.04m of
capital funding via the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) from the Department
for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for Hackney
Central in order to kickstart the
delivery of the Town Centre Strategy and address the
communities’ ambitions for Hackney Central, and, to enter
into a grant agreement with the Department for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for such funding on such terms as
shall be agreed by the Group Director for Climate, Homes and
Economy, the Group Director for Finance and Corporate Resources,
and the Director of Legal, Democratic and Electoral
Services.
 
REASON(S) FOR DECISION
 
1. All town centres have experienced significant stresses
recently, with the impact of covid,
Brexit, the growth of online shopping,
and inflation taking their toll. Hackney Central is both a Major
Town Centre and a designated Area for Regeneration in the London
Plan. It is a space that thousands of residents use daily as they
seek to address their needs, the Council wants to take a proactive
approach to respond to the issues that the community have
identified in the town centre (such as poor air quality, road
safety concerns, need for more affordable housing), to plan
proactively and work collaboratively to deal with the challenges
the area faces, and to ensure its future success.
2. Failure to positively and proactively plan for the
future of Hackney Central will see the existing challenges continue
to the detriment of the town centre and borough as a whole. By
setting out a clear and shared vision for the future of Hackney
Central, the strategy enables the Council to work together with
communities, businesses, partners, landowners and other
stakeholders to address these challenges.
3. The Town Centre Strategy (TCS) gives the Council what it
needs to lead and
shape the strategic direction of Hackney Central in the
future in line with the objectives set out in;
3.1. the Council’s Strategic Plan
3.2. the Local Plan (LP33), especially Place Policy 3
– Hackney Central and Surrounds, and
3.3. Hackney Council’s Inclusive Economy Strategy
(2019) – support local neighbourhoods and town centres to
thrive and to be inclusive and resilient places.
4. The TCS sets out a clear evidence, and community
engagement led approach to regeneration in Hackney Central,
underpinned by significant quantitative and qualitative research
concerning local challenges and opportunities. It is a
cross-Council strategy which guides projects and priorities of
wider Council services in the town centre. As such, the strategy is
a critical structure for coordinating Council projects under a
shared vision, and coordinating the efficient use of Council
resources, ensuring that investment in the town centre is strategic
and maximises local benefit.
5. The TCS provides a vision for the future of Hackney
Central, and a plan for
how to achieve this vision. This approach ensures the
Council are leading future change in Hackney Central, ensuring high
quality placemaking, attracting
appropriate investment and influencing investors and landowners to
bring forward sites and development in a way that most benefits the
town centre and Hackney Central’s communities.
6. The TCS will help the Council deliver the objectives of
Local Plan 2033 (LP33), and will be a material consideration in
planning decisions.
7. Having a clear regeneration plan in place for an area
enables the Council to
be able to make the best possible case to secure funding in
what is an increasingly competitive financial environment. The
strategy will also form critical evidence for consideration when
applying for external funding, be that Central Government, Regional
Government (GLA) or other independent funding organisations. This
has been evidenced by the success of the Council’s Levelling
Up Fund (LUF) bid.
8. By deciding to accept the LUF funding the Council will
be in a position to move forward many of the key projects
identified in the TCS, and start to bring about significant
improvements to the town centre.
9. The positive benefits brought about by accepting the LUF
funding are detailed in paragraphs 6.17-6.21 of this
report.