AHMM’s revised plans for a mixed-use development in Shoreditch are poised for approval after the architectural practice reduced the height of a proposed hotel tower, addressing concerns raised by Hackney council and Historic England. The project, designed for Bioconsulta Ltd, centres on a 19-storey aparthotel tower on the Shoreditch Island site along Great Eastern Street, supplemented by refurbished heritage buildings extending the hotel and a standalone office block.

The proposal involves demolition of four existing structures, including Titchfield House—a 1960s office block—Picture House, a five-storey building, and the locally listed four-storey terrace at 109 Great Eastern Street housing retail units. Originally submitted in spring 2024, the scheme featured a 22-storey tower adorned with distinctive red marble fins inspired by early feedback from the council’s design review panel aiming to visually link the tower to a proposed red-coloured office building. However, planning officers later judged the marble fins incongruous and superfluous, prompting their removal alongside a three-storey reduction in tower height, floor-to-floor height reductions of 15cm, addition of end-of-corridor windows on every floor, and a replacement of all red elements with precast concrete finishes.

These design modifications have lowered the number of hotel rooms from 232 to 202 but have marginally expanded the retail floorspace and affordable workspace provision on site. Historic England, while initially voicing concerns over the tower’s height and its effect on surrounding historic terraces, acknowledged that the amended design could "potentially greatly enhance the site." The heritage body noted the demolition of 109 Great Eastern Street as harmful but expressed a positive view regarding the scheme’s commitment to restoring adjacent buildings.

This planning application aligns with Hackney council’s evolving approach to development in Shoreditch, a strategically significant area on the City fringe undergoing rapid transformation. Notably, AHMM is also involved in other substantial Shoreditch projects, including a 27-storey office tower replacing an unexecuted 30-storey Gensler-designed proposal, signalling a continuing trend towards high-density office and mixed-use developments within the borough.

The Shoreditch Island scheme marks a clearer shift towards balancing architecturally ambitious projects with heritage sensitivity and community considerations. The developers have engaged a multidisciplinary team including DP9 for planning consultancy, Studio GB leading landscape architecture, Atelier 10 overseeing sustainability, Velocity managing transport, and Elliot Wood responsible for civils and structural engineering.

Despite some local campaigns protesting tall towers in Shoreditch, exemplified by earlier contentious approvals such as the 30-storey Shoreditch Highgate Hotel, the council appears to be striving for a nuanced policy that allows growth while addressing conservation and amenity impacts. The revisions to AHMM’s scheme have evidently reflected these demands, improving prospects for the project’s upcoming planning committee endorsement.

Overall, the proposal exemplifies the complex negotiation between modern high-rise development ambitions and the imperative to respect Shoreditch’s distinct historic urban fabric, an issue increasingly at the forefront as the area continues to attract mixed-use regeneration projects in the context of wider London City fringe redevelopment.

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Source: Noah Wire Services