South Shoreditch Triangle (1980-Present): The Appropriation of Heritage Assets—Trading or Taking?

The thesis investigates guardian and commercial values influencing conservation policy and planning in South Shoreditch, just north of the City of London. Strategic planning policies, particularly those developing in the 1980s, led to comprehensive building loss and the increased potential for commercial/political gain. Three important issues are implicit: firstly, the struggle for consistency in applying conservation principles, policies and guidance by the London Borough of Hackney; secondly, South Shoreditch’s historic environment is more than the sum of its recognisable parts; and thirdly, some areas have undergone sustained improvement, while elsewhere there has been a gradual erosion of the quality and character of the environment. This is particularly the case along The City’s periphery where development pressures from beyond the boundaries of the South Shoreditch Conservation Area have overridden environmental and sociocultural value. Hackney’s border with The City has not been able to achieve adequate policy protection in comparison to areas slightly inland; these edge areas have been regionally assigned for regeneration in order to exploit the competitive advantages of the City Fringe. The conclusion drawn is that existing statutory and non-statutory designations are not enough to regulate some of the damaging changes that are occurring, including alterations to Shoreditch’s industrial heritage. This has emphasised the need to manage the historic environment more effectively with a collection of useful framework plans and a conservation area management plan. Strong support within current planning policies and ministerial collaborations by the Government, even if prejudiced by heritage’s economic value, has meant that conservation has become fundamental in the move towards sustainable growth. Nevertheless, a sustainable yield can only be possible if South Shoreditch’s physical capital is conserved and extracted without causing undue harm to its value and the surplus required to maintain the district’s working life can be sustained at a manageable level over time.