THE FATE of the Hackney-owned buildings in Dalston Lane may have been sealed by planning councillors at their latest meeting.

The sub-committee members met on 5 March 2014 to approve the demolish-and-rebuild proposal. Now private contractor Murphy has been told it can call back the bulldozers to complete what they started in January: knocking down the Georgian houses and shops.

In their 200-year history the buildings at 48-76 Dalston Lane E8 3AH have survived Nazi Germany’s Blitz on London in 1940-1941. But within a few weeks Hackney council will have done more damage to the terrace than Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe, completing a long process of official neglect, incompetence and deception.

A few days after the meeting, members of the council’s Labour majority started a doorknocking campaign to drum up support in the May elections, which gives added relevance to their Dalston Lane decision.

The “vote of shame”, as it has been termed, was split 4-4, so chairman Vincent Stops (Labour, Hackney Central) chose to use his casting vote to clear the way for the bulldozers. With him on that were:

* Ann Munn (Labour, Haggerston),

* Brian Bell (Labour, Brownswood),

* Michael Levy (Conservative, Springfield).

Against were:

* Barry Buitekant (Labour,

Haggerston),

* Katie Hanson (Labour, Victoria),

* Abraham Jacobson (Liberal Democrats, Cazenove),

* Linda Smith (Labour, Clissold).

Susan Fajana-Thomas (Labour, Stoke Newington Central) took part in the meeting – but not in the vote. 

A tactic still available to local architectural conservationists is judicial review. Lawyers sometimes work without payment on JRs, which can be expensive but can hold up and sometimes stop projects.

David Altheer 080314

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