Talk | Housing Hackney: Who Gets to Shape a Changing Borough?

About this event

Hackney is under the same pressure as the rest of London to provide more homes, but the argument is not simply about how many get built. It is also about what kind of housing is delivered, where it goes, who benefits from development and how existing residents are involved in decisions about their neighbourhoods. The London Society and OnLondon are bringing together local voices for an evening of discussion about housing in Hackney, looking at the choices facing one of London’s most distinctive and fast-changing boroughs. From major regeneration at Woodberry Down to new housing around Hackney Wick and smaller schemes across the borough, Hackney has experienced substantial development over recent decades. At the same time, high housing costs, pressure on social housing and disagreement over the scale and character of future development remain part of everyday life for many residents. The political context is changing too, making this a useful moment to ask how Hackney should approach its next generation of housing. How much more housing can and should the borough accommodate? What should genuinely affordable housing look like? How can existing communities share in the benefits of development? And what happens when residents, councils, developers and those arguing for more homes have different ideas about what good growth looks like? Chaired by journalist and OnLondon editor Dave Hill, the discussion will bring together perspectives from politics, planning, housing, development and Hackney’s communities. Confirmed speakers include Sem Moema, London Assembly Member for Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest; Dr Jack Brown, Lecturer in London Studies at King’s College London; Mike De’Ath of Hackney based architects HTA Design; and Heather Cheesbrough, an experienced town planner and former senior local government planning and regeneration director. Further speakers representing local residents, the development and housing sectors, and different perspectives on increasing housing supply will be announced. Rather than seeking easy agreement, the evening will explore where the real choices and tensions lie, with plenty of time for audience questions and discussion. This event forms part of The London Society’s wider programme exploring housing across the capital and asking what good housing growth looks like in different London boroughs. Join The London Society and OnLondon in Hackney for an informed, open and constructive conversation about who builds, who decides and how the borough can provide more homes while remaining a place in which people from different incomes and backgrounds can continue to live.