New York-style High Line proposed for Shoreditch: revised Bishopsgate Goodsyard plan includes 500 new flats and an elevated park
New plans have been announced to redevelop a derelict railway goodsyard in the heart of Shoreditch.
After five years of arguments, the Bishopsgate Goodsyard project has had a revamp — and an elevated park similar to the New York High Line is one of its main features.
When the project was first presented in 2014, many residents were horrified by the prospect of 46-storey skyscrapers — containing 1,350 flats — looming over Brick Lane.
The then mayor Boris Johnson agreed with the objections and threw out the £900 million proposals, forcing developers Hammerson and Ballymore back to the drawing board. Today, the companies revealed their new plans for the 10-acre site which they have submitted to the Greater London Authority.
The park would run along the top of restored railway arches, with walkways linking a series of gardens and terraces. It has similarities with the New York High Line, a popular walkway on a disused 1.45 mile-long raised railway which was completed in 2014.
The redeveloped goodsyard will also have shops, cafes, restaurants, plus workspace in five new buildings. The proposed towers have been reduced in height — the tallest will now be 26 storeys.
The number of flats planned has also been slashed to 500, of which 250 will be affordable. Some of these will be aimed at struggling first-time buyers, who will be able to purchase a share of one of the properties.
There will also be low-cost homes to let, aimed at people priced out of the private rental market. In the original application only 15 per cent of the homes were low cost.
Hammerson development manager Tony Coughlan said: “We are excited to bring forward these revisions to our plans, which promote a more sensitive scale of development for this strategically important site.
“Our revised proposals will generate thousands of jobs and support local economic growth, creating a vibrant urban quarter that respects the heritage of its location.” The developers calculate that 8,300 jobs, worth about £632 million to the economy, will be created. The goodsyard has been derelict since the Sixties when it was ravaged by a fire.
