The future for Hackney’s two major town centres has been adopted by the Council in two new masterplans, following an extensive consultation with residents, community groups and local businesses.

The plans for Hackney Central and Dalston are designed to improve and guide growth and investment over the next 15 years, ensuring future development strengthens and reinforces their distinct characters that are making Hackney one of the most popular places to be in central London.

Dalston is seen as a strong cultural, creative and community hub, drawing on the existing strength of these sectors, and strengthening its role as a centre for retail and leisure. While Hackney Central is identified as the borough’s key civic hub with an improved and expanded retail and cultural offer.

Cllr Guy Nicholson, Hackney Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said: “The masterplans are designed to provide a 15 year direction for our growing town centres that are becoming more popular and more successful. They aim to ensure Hackney Central and Dalston remain exciting, vibrant and creative places, attracting residents and visitors alike to enjoy Hackney’s diverse and eclectic offer.

“Our aspiration is to use the investment that comes with this growth to turn our two town centres into central London’s first low carbon town centres for the next generation.”

The masterplans give an idea where new homes could be built, and where retail, hospitality, employment and community spaces could be developed. The proposals ensure that the distinct characters that exist in both town centres should be retained, and that new development must contribute to this character.

In Hackney Central the reopening of the old Hackney Central Station on the new London Overground is proposed, and plans to improve the Narrow Way and the wider town centre environment also feature. In Dalston, a new green avenue is proposed around which a new high street is formed enabling Dalston to grow and increase its cultural and creative sectors alongside its role as a centre for retail and leisure activities.

Both masterplans include plans to improve routes in and around the town centres and to promote and support walking and cycling.

The two town centre masterplans were consulted on extensively and have been amended to reflect the feedback from the community. They have now been formally adopted as interim area action plans and will form a material consideration in the assessment of planning applications.

View the town centre interim area action plans at:
www.hackney.gov.uk/dalston-aap
www.hackney.gov.uk/hackney-central-aap