• Venue Map

About The Project

The Goodsyard is the name of the former Bishopsgate Goods Yard site, surrounding Shoreditch High Street Station. It is approximately 4.4 hectares in size which is the same as about 7 international football pitches.

Sitting between Shoreditch, Banglatown, Spitalfields and the City Fringe, this unique site has been derelict since a fire in the 1960s. In April 2010, Shoreditch High Street Station opened in the centre of the site and there are currently two temporary uses on the site; Powerleague football pitches and Boxpark, while the developer, a joint venture between Hammerson and Ballymore, has brought forward its plans for what is one of London’s last major brownfield sites.

The Goodsyard has been identified in planning documents at local and regional levels as a major opportunity for regeneration and has had a long history of development proposals and consultation.

Proposals for the site were most recently brought forward in 2014 when applications for the comprehensive redevelopment of the site were submitted to the London Boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets. In 2015 The Mayor of London called the applications in and directed that he would act as the Local Planning Authority. In April 2016, the Greater London Authority (GLA) Case Officer’s Report recommended the planning permission should be refused. The Mayor agreed to defer the determination to allow Hammerson and Ballymore further time to evolve the design and work with the GLA planning officers to respond to comments.

Since then the team has been carefully considering the feedback on the applications and following constructive conversations with key stakeholders, the Joint Venture have now submitted proposals for the site. This approach includes important amendments to the planning applications.

Between July and December 2018, Soundings carried out community consultation in the local area to share, debate and inform the updated proposals for the Goodsyard site.

Further engagement then took place in March 2019 to share the Updated Masterplan ahead of amended planning applications being submitted to the GLA in October 2019.

The Project Team



The project team is led by Hammerson and Ballymore, who together are commonly referred to as the ‘Joint Venture’ or ‘JV’. The team includes a wide range of experts in many disciplines and local design partners.


  • The Goodsyard borders Shoreditch, Banglatown, Spitalfields & the City Fringe

  • The original Goods Yard boundary wall – Sclater Street / Bethnal Green Road

  • Within the western end of the site that remains derelict

  • Grade ll listed Braithwaite Viaduct in the eastern part of the site

Project Background

‘From then to now’ please click on each topic below to find out more:

1 Site history

2 Heritage remaining

3 Planning policy

4 Site challenges

5 Earlier consultation

6 Evolution of the proposals

  • 01 Site History


    Bishopsgate Station opened in 1840 as a passenger terminal providing a route into London from Ipswich, Norwich and Colchester. The station closed to passenger traffic in 1875 and reopened six years later as Bishopsgate Goods Yard, a freight station serving the eastern ports of England. By 1882 the Goods Yard was in full operation catering for 1,600 carts in and out of the station daily and was the focus for receiving imported food from continental Europe.

    On December 5th 1964 a fire broke out at the station. The blaze was so intense that 40 fire engines and 235 firefighters were called. Despite best efforts, the Goods Yard was rendered unusable and has remained derelict and vacant for a number of years.

  • Site History – Aerial view of the Goods Yard – 1881

  • Site History – Historic London railways map c.1906

  • Site History – The Goods Yard from the elevated track level

  • 02 Heritage Remaining


    From the very start of the development process, the Joint Venture has committed to preserving the unique heritage of the site. The vast majority will be retained, enhanced and opened up for public access, including:

    • The Braithwaite Arches, the second oldest railway arches in London. Including historical details like the rails, setts, oculi, turntables and a hydraulic accumulator.
    • The historic Oriel Gateway, renovated as an iconic entrance to the site from Shoreditch High Street.
    • The Boundary Wall, which still marks the edges of much of the site.
    • Locally listed weavers’ cottages on Sclater Street and the nearby Mission Chapel and Victorian building.

  • Heritage Remaining – Grade ll listed Braithwaite Viaduct

  • Heritage Remaining – The Oriel Gateway – fronting onto Shoreditch High Street

  • Heritage Remaining – The original Goods Yard boundary wall – Sclater Street / Bethnal Green Road

  • 03 Planning policy


    The Goodsyard site straddles the boundary between two London Boroughs – Hackney and Tower Hamlets, each with relevant policy that must be considered when developing the plans, two key documents include:

    In Hackney, the adopted Hackney Site Allocations Local Plan (2016) outlines this part of the site for employment-led development, recognising that the site is a major development opportunity within the Central Activities Zone, and the Shoreditch Priority Employment Area.

    In Tower Hamlets, the adopted Managing Development DPD (2013) allocates the site as a comprehensive mixed use development opportunity. The emerging ‘Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031’ published for consultation in October 2017 outlines the land use requirements for the site include housing and employment uses, in addition to a wide range of aspects that the site should respond to including building scale, heritage, integrated route, improved walking and cycling, family homes, open space and ecology.

  • 04 Site Challenges


    The Goodsyard is particularly complicated to develop, hemmed in & cut through by the power & transport arteries of London with several significant constraints that influence its development & reduce the total amount of foundable land to around 30% of the site. Constraints include:

    1. London Overground line & Shoreditch High Street Station
    2. Historic & Listed structures on site
    3. Central Line, cutting diagonally underneath the site
    4. Six mainline railway lines out of Liverpool Street
    5. Reserved space for two potential new railway tracks
    6. BT tunnel, running deep underneath the site

  • 05 Earlier consultation


    Initial outreach in 2011, followed by extensive consultation between 2013 to 2015 engaged over 1,500 local people on the previous proposals. This included a wide range of public events, regular newsletters, a steering group made up of local residents and a community liaison group. The consultation recorded the areas of most importance locally, setting community aspirations and tracking where the proposals had and hadn’t met these, and why. The 2014 Statement of Community Involvement and 2015 Addendum provide a record of all consultation and feedback.

  • Earlier consultation – Site Tour, Walk & Talk – 2013

  • Earlier consultation – Ideas Week – 2013

  • 06 Evolution of the proposals


    In 2014 planning applications were submitted to the London Boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets for the comprehensive redevelopment of The Goodsyard. This included, 1,464 new homes, 52,000 m² office space including Small to Medium Enterprise (SMEs), 18,000 m² of retail space including small units, a new elevated public park a range of community benefits and amenities, together with retained and restored heritage features.

    In 2015, further amendments were made; 1,356 new homes, 65,000 m² office space including Small to Medium Enterprise (SMEs), 17,000 m² of retail space including small units, a new elevated public park a range of community benefits and amenities, together with retained and restored heritage features.

    Read more on the next page…

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    06 Evolution of the proposals


    In September 2015 the applications were called-in by The Mayor of London which confirmed that the Mayor would act as the local planning authority for the purposes of determining the planning applications.

    In April 2016 the GLA’s officer report recommended the planning permission should be refused. The Mayor agreed to defer the determination to allow the JV further time to evolve the design and work with the GLA planning officers to respond to comments. Since then, the JV have been looking to amend their proposals for The Goodsyard. This allows for lower building heights and focuses on workspace and creative industries. Retaining more of the site heritage, with a new approach to routes and public spaces.

  • Evolution of the proposals – 2015 scheme – London Road

  • Evolution of the proposals – 2015 scheme – Elevated Park

  • Evolution of the proposals – 2018 Updated Proposals – New east-west street at ground level

  • Evolution of the proposals – 2018 Updated Proposals – Highline Level

Get Involved

We would like to thank everyone who has taken part throughout all stages of consultation informing the Goodsyard proposals.

The most recent engagement took place in November 2018 and March 2019 on the updated proposals for the Goodsyard and a report has been produced summarising the feedback received – 2019 Statement of Community Involvement, Addendum. This document is available to view or download here and sits in addition to the 2014 Statement of Community Involvement and 2015 Addendum.

Following review of all feedback received, the Joint Venture submitted revised plans to the Greater London Authority (GLA) in the form of amended planning applications in October 2019. Details on the applications can be found under Submission.

  • Concept Masterplan exhibition – 2013

  • Discussing the Goodsyard site

  • Pop-up information at Shoreditch High Street – 2013

  • Canvass Cards – 2011 & 2013

  • Site visits – 2013

  • Updated Proposals Exhibition – 2018

Submission

Submission of the Amended Applications
In October 2019, the Joint Venture submitted the amended planning applications for the redevelopment of the Goodsyard to the Greater London Authority (GLA). As with the original submission, the Mayor of London is the decision maker for the applications. For a detailed history of the applications, please see the Evolution of the Proposals section of the website under Project Background.

The Proposed Amendments
Following two rounds of community engagement on the updated proposals in 2018 and 2019, and further discussions with the boroughs and the GLA, the Joint Venture has updated the scheme to reflect feedback as follows:

  • Lower building heights and reduced density across the site
  • 50% affordable housing on up to 500 homes
  • The development will contribute over £500m annually to the London economy and over 10,000 jobs in Shoreditch
  • The Goodsyard will be one of the largest providers of affordable workspace of any new development in London, supporting East London’s businesses and start-ups
  • A high line-style public park sitting on top of the restored railway arches that will include a series of connected gardens, terraces and walkways, with a wide variety of biodiversity, including trees and planting.
  • A mix of uses across the scheme with a focus on flexible workspace and the creative industries, as well as cafés, restaurants and a hotel
  • More of the site’s heritage is retained, with the listed Braithwaite Viaduct arches opened up to the public and the Oriel Gate restored
  • A fresh approach to routes and public spaces at street level including a new east-west pedestrian street running from Brick Lane to Shoreditch High Street
  • The provision of a destination building for cultural space on Brick Lane as well as exhibition space along the historic London Road


The submitted amended application documents can be viewed on the GLA website under ‘October 2019 Amended Submission’.

The boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets will undertake statutory consultation on behalf of the GLA, which will run until the 18th December. Comments on the planning applications can be submitted to the relevant Local Authority, which will be considered by the two boroughs when making their recommendation on the planning application. Please visit the relevant website:
https://hackney.gov.uk/
https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/Home.aspx

Following statutory consultation, the Boroughs’ recommendations will be submitted to the GLA and a public hearing will be held at City Hall where the Mayor of London will preside over the amended planning applications. This is likely to be held in early 2020. For further information on the public hearing process, please visit the GLA website.

Documents & Download

This section provides a record and resource of all materials issued throughout the consultation process. This will continue to grow as the consultation progresses.

2019 | Consultation Record
2019 | Statement of Community Involvement Addendum | 17MB
2019 | Consultation Documents
Feb 2019 | Newsletter | 7MB
March 2019 | Exhibition Materials | 23MB
2018 | Consultation Documents
Nov 2018 | Newsletter | 6.9MB
Nov 2018 | Exhibition Material | 20 MB
Nov 2018 | Updated Proposals Consultation Report | 26MB
2018 | Press Releases
30 October 2018
7 Novemeber 2018
2014/15 | Consultation record
2014 | Statement of Community Involvement 74.8MB
2015 | Statement of Community Involvement Addendum 24MB