A block of garages and parking spaces on the Teviot Estate in Poplar can be turned into studio workspaces and gardens, Tower Hamlets Council has agreed.
R-Urban Poplar, which runs a sustainable food-growing project next to the site, wants to install a comminity sauna, garden, and studio workspaces there.
Plans say the project aims to create “more accessible green space” and support “local food growing”.
The garages and parking spaces are at the top north-east corner of Brion Place at the edge of the Teviot Estate.
They are right next to R-Urban Poplar’s current site which hosts “a community classroom and kitchen, a workshop with a tool library, a compost toilet, an anaerobic digester, allotment spaces for local residents and converted garage offices”.
Planning documents submitted to the council said this site is now “at capacity” and the R-Urban Poplar has “ambitious plans” to expand.
The expansion would involve, the plans state: “Converting Parking spaces and hard standing into community food growing with micro-allotments and a polytunnel.
“A new community sauna bath and wellbeing garden.
“Revitalising an underused green space into a small micro-forest garden.
“Converting four parking garages into additional studio workspaces.”
R-Urban Poplar applied for temporary planning permission in February. Council planning officers agreed to grant permission earlier this month, on Friday 17 April.
Officers said they considered the loss of parking spaces to be acceptable.
Their assessment said: “There are no current polices that protect car parking within the borough.
“The quantum of garages and surface parking that would be lost would be minor given the site comprises only a small proportion of the overall surface parking and garage provision available on Brion Place; and the loss would be temporary.”
The planning permission is temporary and will expire on 17 April 2031.
The proposals come after Poplar Harca, the housing association that owns the Teviot Estate, was granted permission demolish and rebuild it last year.
Brion Place is in the second phase of the redevelopment, which is set to start in 2031.
Amended by Chaya Star
