35
November 2007 Interim Supplementary Planning Document Whitechapel Masterplan A Vision for the Future E1
November 2007
Interim Supplementary Planning Document
Whitechapel Masterplan
A Vision for the Future E1
Commercial Road Commercial Road
Cannon Street R
oad
Turner Street
Cavell S
treet
Sidney Street
Mile End Road
Whitechapel Road
Varden Street
Stepney Way
Stepney Way
Stepney Way
New
Road
Vallance Road
Collingw
ood StreetBrady Street
Sidney Street
Cam
bridge Heath R
oad
Executive Summary
Whitechapel is home to a diverse community, a bustling street market, an award
winning Idea Store and the Royal London Hospital. It is a busy transport interchange
served by several bus routes on Whitechapel Road and two underground lines at
Whitechapel Underground Station.
There are major developments planned for Whitechapel which could act as catalysts
to regenerate Whitechapel and the wider area. These include the new Crossrail
interchange, redevelopment of the Royal London Hospital, the East London Line
upgrade and creation of the London 2012 Olympic High Street (Whitechapel Road).
Despite these attributes and forthcoming opportunities, it is apparent that the area is
failing to realise its true potential. Key concerns for the local community include the
safety and quality of the pedestrian environment, ease of movement through the area,
access to employment and support for small businesses, range and diversity of the
retail offer and the need for more leisure facilities.
In response to these concerns a vision has been developed to help guide the future
development of Whitechapel. This vision captures the desires of the community
and in turn informs a series a actions, grouped around seven broad topic areas:
built environment; public realm; transport and movement; shopping; education and
employment; leisure and tourism; and health.
A wide variety of actions are proposed, each developed in partnership with the many
local and national agencies and groups that play a role in the life of Whitechapel.
Projects range from the short term (e.g. creation of a new pedestrian crossing on
Whitechapel Road), medium term(e.g. improving signage and way-finding) to long
term (e.g. provision of a new and improved Albion Health Centre). Other actions are
ongoing through the life of the Masterplan, e.g. encouraging improvements to shop
fronts.
This Masterplan provides the framework that will facilitate the co-ordinated delivery of
these actions, ensuring that their implementation is carefully integrated with the major
development projects planned for the area. This strategic approach will guide the
renaissance of Whitechapel as the heart of a vibrant and diverse community that is
socially, financially and environmentally sustainable, long into the future.
Contents Page
Contents
Opening Statement . . . 7
Why do we need a Masterplan?
Introduction . . . 11Whitechapel is changing . . . 12The Whitechapel Masterplan . . . 13Planning Policy context . . . 14What the Community says about Whitechapel . . . 17
Whitechapel Yesterday : Historic Development
A Brief History of Whitechapel . . . 22
Whitechapel Today : The Case for Change
Whitechapel Today . . . 27Where do People want to go? . . . 28What is Holding Whitechapel Back? . . . 31The Case for Change . . . 35
The Vision
How it will be achieved . . . 41
Whitechapel Tomorrow : Delivering the Vision
Introduction . . . 45Principles and Actions . . . 45• Built Environment . . . 47• Public Realm . . . 51• Transport & Movement . . . 53• Shopping . . . 57• Education & Employment . . . 61• Leisure & Tourism . . . 65• Community Health . . . 69Phasing, Funding & Delivery . . . 72
Whitechapel is one of the most
diverse communities in the UK. It is vibrant, colourful, full of passion, energy and
excitement and has a rich culture and heritage.
Whitechapel has much to offer and great potential,
but it also has problems that need to be solved.
There is evidence to suggest the community
in Whitechapel has been let down by the physical
environment that has evolved around it in recent
years.
Instead of being what it should be, a place very
definitely ‘where it’s at’, it has become a place to
travel through, its special character and
qualities largely unknown in the bustle of London life.
So Tower Hamlets has developed this Masterplan to
shape the development of the area, to reveal its
hidden charms, reinvigorate its town centre
role, and to reclaim it for the community and to
proudly promote Whitechapel as a destination.
7
Why do we need a Masterplan?
Introduction
Whitechapel is Changing
The Whitechapel Masterplan
Planning Policy Context
What the Community says about Whitechapel
11
Why do we need a Masterplan?Introduction
Whitechapel is home to a diverse community, a bustling daily street market, an award
winning Idea Store and significantly, the Royal London Hospital. It is also a busy transport
interchange served by several bus routes as well as the District, Hammersmith and City
and East London Lines at Whitechapel Underground Station. Its function as a major
transport interchange will be further reinforced with the arrival of Crossrail in 2017.
Located to the east of Aldgate and the City of London, Whitechapel is centred around
Whitechapel Underground Station and the stretch of Whitechapel Road (the A11) from
New Road to Cambridge Heath Road. It is in many people’s eyes the heart of the East
End.
WHITECHAPEL
A10
A1202
A11
A13
A11
A11
A12
MILEENDPARK
City of London
Canary Wharf
Stratford Olympic Park
VICTORIAPARK
BETHNALGREENGARDENS
HAGGERSTONPARK
LONDONFIELDS
LEEVALLEYPARK
TOWER HAMLETSCEMETERYPARK
12
Whitechapel is Changing
There are major developments planned for the Whitechapel area over the next 10 years.
This process of change has already begun. Some key projects include:
• Major redevelopment of the Royal London Hospital which will transform the existing
hospital site and change how the area looks and feels. The hospital will provide
district general hospital services for the area, including a trauma and emergency
care centre. It will also provide one of Europe’s largest renal (kidney) services, a
dedicated Women and Children’s Hospital, and London’s Helicopter Emergency
Medical Service.
• The East London Line Project is underway and will extend and upgrade the existing
East London underground line, converting it into a new metrostyle train service. The
line goes through Whitechapel Station, linking it to Dalston to the north and Croydon
to the south. It will have a major impact on the Whitechapel Masterplan area,
bringing more people and stimulating new development.
• Crossrail is a new railway that links west and east London. A new station is
proposed at Whitechapel, to the north of the current Whitechapel underground
station. It will cut journey times to Tottenham Court Road from 19 minutes to just
eight minutes. The Crossrail scheme is due to be completed in 2017.
These changes combined with the importance of Whitechapel Road as a main route
linking Central London to the London 2012 Olympic Park, present a unique opportunity to
change Whitechapel for the better.
13
The Whitechapel Masterplan
The Council has prepared the Whitechapel
Masterplan to promote positive change in
Whitechapel and to encourage investment in
the area.
The Masterplan responds to what the
community has been telling the Council about
Whitechapel and:
• Sets out a vision for change in
Whitechapel that builds on the
attributes of the area and addresses the
problems.
• Reflects and draws together initiatives
being promoted by other agencies.
They include the major projects already
highlighted as well as Transport for
London’s strategy for the A11, the
Primary Care Trust strategy for the area,
and the new Local Area Agreement.
• Provides guidance for the
redevelopment of particular sites
within the masterplan area to ensure
that rather then being developed in
isolation they are part of a co-ordinated
approach.
• Identifies priorities for change and
promotes inward investment.
The Whitechapel Masterplan will be part of
the Local Development Framework. Initially
it will be an Interim Supplementary Planning
Document but will ultimately become a
Supplementary Planning Document.
Commercial Road
Turner Street
Cavell Street
Sidney Street
Mile End Road
Whitechapel Road
Durward Street
Varden Street
Stepney Way
Stepney Way
Stepney Way
New
Road
New
Road
Vallance Road
Collingw
ood StreetBrady Street
Sidney Street
Cam
bridge Heath R
oad
14
Planning Policy Context
What does the London Plan say about Whitechapel?
The London Plan (2004) is the spatial development strategy for the whole of London. It
identifies Whitechapel and Aldgate as an “Opportunity Area” and highlights the need to :
• Promote housing and employment development;
• Maximise access by public transport;
• Promote social inclusion; and
• Take account of the community, environmental and other distinctive local
characteristics of the area.
What does the Local Development Framework say about Whitechapel?
The Interim Planning Guidance - Core Strategy and Development Control Plan (Oct 2007)
explains the Council’s overall spatial strategy and provides the context for the Whitechapel
Masterplan. The Interim Planning Guidance (Oct 2007) supports:
• Job creation and growth;
• Enhancement of town centres;
• Meeting housing needs, balanced by social and physical
infrastructure provision;
• Social and community facilities;
• Protecting and enhancing open spaces;
• Good design; and
• Maximising possible density in relation to context, accessibility,
social and physical infrastructure and efficient use of land.
What does the Community Plan say ?
The Tower Hamlets community plan sets out a vision for a better Tower
Hamlets. It is based around five themes:
• Living Safely
• Living Well
• Creating and Sharing Prosperity
• Learning, Achievement and Leisure
• Excellent Public Services.
15
The Interim Planning Guidance - City Fringe
Area Action Plan provides detailed policies for
the City Fringe Area of the borough to ensure
that change and growth is carefully managed.
The Whitechapel Masterplan area is partly within
the boundary of the Interim Planning Guidance
- City Fringe Area Action Plan. It identifies the
Royal London Hospital redevelopment and
new Crossrail Interchange as a catalyst for
regeneration in the area. It also sets out a
number of planning policies to deliver change in
the Whitechapel sub-area, including:
• Supporting opportunities for environmental
enhancement with the redevelopment
of the Royal London Hospital;
• Promoting small scale employment uses;
• Supporting employment uses and mixed
use development with retail and leisure
uses on ground floors to reinforce existing
focal points of activity along Whitechapel
and Commercial Road;
• Promoting the creative use of railway
arches;
• Ensuring residential development provides
for a variety of housing types and sizes;
• Encouraging improvements to the quality
of the streetscape and public realm
improvements;
• Enhancing public open spaces and
improving connections between existing
open spaces through green links; and
• Reducing problems of severance by
seeking improvements to north – south
crossings on Whitechapel Road.
The Masterplan elaborates on relevant policies
identified in the Council’s Interim Planning
Guidance - Core Strategy and Development
Control Plan (Oct 2007) and Interim Planning
Guidance - City Fringe Area Action Plan.
17
What the community says about Whitechapel
The Whitechapel Masterplan has been developed in consultation with important
stakeholders in the area who have a shared interest in making Whitechapel a better
place, including the Greater London Authority, Transport for London and the Local Area
Partnership. Listening to the views of communities that live, work and visit Whitechapel
has also been central to the development of the Masterplan.
Community consultation on the Masterplan was ‘front loaded’ . This means we asked
questions and listened to what people wanted before we started to develop any ideas
and we used what we learned to inform and shape the Masterplan. By involving the
community at an early stage, we exceeded the statutory (or legal) requirements for
consultation. A number of consultation activities were undertaken. Two drop-in sessions
were held at the Idea Store, Whitechapel, to get a clearer idea of people’s views about
the area and to see what people thought about some initial ideas for change. This was
supplemented by smaller workshops (e.g. Youth Partnership and a local women’s group)
and presentations at Local Area Partnership meetings.
There was a very wide spectrum of views about Whitechapel and how it should change
but there was consensus on some of the main challenges for the area and the priorities
for change.
The key messages from the consultation were:
• Improving the safety and quality of the pedestrian environment during the day and
at night was considered essential. This was a particular issue around the market
and Whitechapel underground station. The need to ensure streets and the public
realm in general were clean and attractive, was highlighted.
• Making it easier to find your way to different facilities in Whitechapel such as the
hospital, Idea Store and Sports Centre was identified as an area for improvement.
• Ensuring that people are able to access employment opportunities and supporting
smaller businesses was considered important .
• The range and diversity of the shops in the area was considered limited compared
to other shopping centres. Some people thought there should be more varied
independent stores, while others wanted to see larger high street shops.
• The need for more leisure activities was raised. Encouraging more cafés and
restaurants in the area particularly serving healthy foods was also suggested.
More broadly, the need for more leisure and sports opportunities in the area was
emphasised.
19
Local Area Partnership Priorities
The views of the Tower Hamlets Partnership community representatives were also
considered. Tower Hamlets Partnership is open to everyone who lives in or has an
interest in the area as well as representatives from the council, police, health, voluntary
and community groups and other organisations. Ward councillors also have an important
role.
There are eight Local Area Partnerships (LAPs) that form part of the Tower Hamlets
Partnership which provides the formal framework through which residents can become
involved. These bring together people in their locality to share ideas and views about how
things can be improved. The LAPs provide local people with the chance to influence the
delivery of services locally and to scrutinise the performance of the council, health, police
and other mainstream services. LAPs develop their own work programmes and have a
strong voice in setting priorities for the future.
The Whitechapel Masterplan area lies partly within Local Area Partnership 2 and Local
Area Partnership 3. The Strategies for the Local Area Partnerships set out three priorities
for 2007-2008. For Local Area Partnership 2, these priorities are:
• Employment and enterprise;
• Quality of the local environment; and
• Healthier communities – young and older people.
Local Area Partnership 3 priorities are:
• Health especially healthier living;
• Young people – pathways to training and employment; and
• Quality of local environment – cleaner and safer.
The Whitechapel Masterplan will form part of the Tower Hamlets Local Development
Framework (LDF), after adoption. Documents within the LDF are prepared to be in
general conformity with the London Plan.
Whitechapel Yesterday :
Historic Development
A Brief History of Whitechapel
22
Whitechapel is a historic part of
London. A useful and necessary
starting point to understanding
the area and proposing a vision
for its future is to consider this
history and how it has shaped
development in the area to date.
The Chapel of Ease was built on
the road to Essex, on the site of
St. Mary’s church, some time in
the 1200’s. It would have been
whitewashed, typically for the
middle ages, and is said to have
lent it’s name to Whitechapel.
The road through Whitechapel,
originally a dirt track, was paved
by an Act of Parliament in 1572,
allowing easier passage for
coaches. Maps from 1666 show
settlement outside of the city walls
at Aldgate, clustered particularly
at the beginning of what was
to become the A11 to Essex,
through Whitechapel.
Whitechapel itself was a small
village, a mile or so outside the
city walls. The Trinity Almshouses
were built in 1695 by Capt.
Henry Mudd, to house “decayed
masters and commanders of
ships and their widows.” By 1738,
development extended in ribbon
form along the Whitechapel
Road. Land use in the area was
still predominantly agricultural,
with evidence of larger houses,
and public activity focused on the
Whitechapel Road.
1738
1792
1844
23
The London Hospital was built
in 1757, and has expanded
incrementally, now displaying a
range of architectural styles and
forms.
The success of the docks to the
south of Whitechapel led to large
scale urban expansion with the
speculative extensive building of
middle class terraces in the area.
This saw all of the surrounding
agricultural land developed for
housing, forming part of what is
now known as the East End.
The first Whitechapel Railway
Station was opened below ground
by the East London Railway in
1876, followed by the Metropolitan
District Railway in 1884 (calling
their station Whitechapel and
Mile End). The Blind Beggar pub
(built 1894) was situated on the
corner of Cambridge Heath Road
(formerly Dog Lane). The pub is
named after Bethnal Green native
Henry de Montford, who fell at the
Battle of Evesham in 1265, and
was found, blind and dressed as a
beggar, by a nobleman’s daughter
who nursed him back to health.
Although new housing was being
built in the 1920’s to replace the
overcrowded slums of the East
End, post war development and
re-development has seen radical
changes in the urban fabric, with
a shift from Victorian terraces
towards1960’s estate block
architecture.
1882
1952
Today
Whitechapel Today :
The Case for Change
Whitechapel Today
What is Holding Whitechapel Back?
The Case for Change
27
The Case for Change Whitechapel Today
Whitechapel today is dominated by the market which is the hub of activity and draws
people into the area. The Royal London Hospital, Sainsburys, the Idea Store and green
open spaces are also major draws into the area. Whitechapel has all of the ingredients
of a much more successful place, although changes are needed to unlock this
potential.
In order to do this, Whitechapel must build upon its strengths:
• The market is one of its biggest strengths. It has loyal customers who visit
regularly, with over 30% of shoppers visiting three times a week or more1. It
creates most of the life in the centre of Whitechapel.
• Whitechapel is already very accessible both by train and bus and allows people
to reach many other parts of the borough and beyond with ease. This accessibility
will be further enhanced by the East London Line upgrade, and Crossrail.
1 Taken from LBTH Retail Strategy, Drivers Jonas February 2003
WHITECHAPEL
A10
A1202
A11
A13
A11
A11
A12
MILEENDPARK
City of London
Canary Wharf
Stratford Olympic Park
VICTORIAPARK
BETHNALGREENGARDENS
HAGGERSTONPARK
LONDONFIELDS
LEEVALLEYPARK
TOWER HAMLETSCEMETERYPARK
LEELEEVALLEYPARK
28
WHITECHAPEL ROAD
A11
Weavers Field
Vallance Gardens
Ford Square
Sidney Square
COMMERCIAL ROAD
SUPERMARKETSWANLEA SCHOOL
WHITECHAPEL SPORTS CENTRE
WHITECHAPEL STATION
ROYAL LONDON HOSPITAL
BLIZARD BUILDING
(QUEEN MARY)
WATNEY MARKET
SHADWELL STATION
SHADWELL DLR STATION
IDEASTORE
Where do people want to go?Where do people want to go?
KEY
ROAD
RAILWAY
DESTINATIONBUILDINGS
HOSPITALCAMPUS
TUBE STATIONS
DLR STATIONS
SHOPS & MARKETS
DESTINATIONOPEN
SPACES
29
Where do people want to go?
• The Royal London Hospital, which is a regional resource with a
national and international reputation raises the profile of the area
and is a major asset.
• Whitechapel is a centre for higher education – Queen Mary’s
School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the Princess Alexandra
School of Nursing are both in the area, and this is complemented
by the adult learning services offered by the Idea Store.
• A strong sense of history, both social and physical, provides
excellent opportunities for further developments and
improvements that recognise the heritage of the area.
• There are a number of buildings and tourist attractions which
already bring people to the area including the Idea Store and
the Blizard Building - home to the Institute of Cell and Molecular
Sciences. This new building is part of Queen Mary’s School of
Dentistry and Medicine, and Barts and The London NHS Trust.
To the west of the area nearer Aldgate, is the Whitechapel Bell
Foundry.
• Formal and Informal green spaces are also a major strength,
even though in some cases they are in need of investment and
improvement.
• Although the property market demand is not large or dynamic at
present, there are several potential development sites within the
study area which could make a real contribution to the community
and the local environment. Further, major changes in the area
such as the East London Line extension, are anticipated to
increase commercial interest.
30
WHITECHAPELWHITECHAPEL ROAD
A11
SHADWELL STATION
SHADWELL DLR STATION
Vallance Gardens
Ford Square
Sidney Square
COMMERCIAL ROAD
Weavers Field
What is stopping What is stopping people?people?
CLEAR STREET PATTERN
KEY
AREAS THATARE CONFUSING FOR PEDESTRIANS
OPEN SPACE POORLY LINKED TO SURROUNDING ROADS
CAR DOMINATED JUNCTIONS
KEY BUILDINGS
31
“The TfL A11 Corridor study has shown that people can’t cross the A11 Whitechapel Road where they want to”
What is Holding Whitechapel Back?
Despite its strengths, a number of problems are holding Whitechapel back from
realising its potential as a vibrant and successful area at the heart of London’s East
End:
• The Whitechapel Road (the A11) is very busy and creates a major barrier to
free north – south movement in the study area. There are also a number of
areas where pedestrian routes are either not provided or are undefined and
fragmented.
• Those who do not know the area have difficulty finding their way around,
particularly around the hospital campus and the station. There is little legibility,
making it hard to find your way about and identify where things are. This is made
worse by a lack of pedestrian signage.
• Studies, including the TfL A11 Corridor Study undertaken by Intelligent Space,
have shown that most pedestrians stay on the northern side of the road. This is
for a number of reasons, including the lack of shops along the south side of the
street, the fact that the station and market are both on the north side, and the
difficulty of crossing the road. This increases the congestion on the north side of
Whitechapel Road.
• The severance caused by Whitechapel Road is compounded by the market. The
current formation of the market is one of Whitechapel’s weaknesses as it acts
as a barrier preventing easy movement across Whitechapel Road and between
buses and trains. The market also masks shop fronts. Traders van parking is
also an issue. Change is needed, but it needs to be carefully balanced to ensure
it does not destabilise what is a thriving element of the local economy and social
infrastructure.
?
32
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(Journey Complexity
!High!
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! Low
Formal Crossing
Route
Informal Crossing
Route
• The Hospital is both an asset and a constraint, as although it is a key destination
and generates a lot of movement, both pedestrian and vehicular, it has little active
frontage onto Whitechapel Road.
• Despite the fact that there are available jobs, unemployment is high as local people
do not have the skills needed .
• The retail and activity in Whitechapel is limited to the early evening as shops close
with the market. There is little night-time economy. However, there are a number of
restaurants along Commercial Road.
• Crime and antisocial activity is a problem in some areas, and was highlighted as a
major concern for people in the public consultation.
• The built and environmental quality of Whitechapel is of variable quality; inadequate
street lighting, a lack of street trees and poorly maintained open spaces have all
been highlighted as problems by the local community.
Crime is a significant issue in Whitechapel. Although rates of most crime have fallen
recently, Whitechapel remains a hotspot for street crime, violent crime and anti-social
behaviour. The Whitechapel Underground Station is a particular area with a high
concentration of street crime, while the streets surrounding the Royal London Hospital
are one of the most significant areas in the borough for car crime (Crime and Disorder
Audit, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, 2004).
How complex is it to find your way around and cross the road?
Valla
nce R
oad
A11 Whitechapel Road
Durward St
33
Mapping of crime data shows that there are a number of hotspots:
• Sainsburys
• The hospital
• Along the market and around the station
• Thefts of/from vehicles behind the hospital, including Milward Street.
Theft from
shop or
building
35%
Vehicle
13%Criminal
Damage
4%
Drug
3%
Other
10%
Theft from the
person
Robbery
13%
Assault,
Violence,
Disorder
22%
FIG 29. INCIDENT TYPES
Intelligent Space Partnership
and their work with Transport
for London utilised crime
figures from 2000-2003. This
chart shows the breakdown of
crimes within the Masterplan
area, by incident type
Illustration from TfL A11 Corridor Study 2005
(Intelligent Space)
A11 Whitechapel Road
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Idea
Store
Post OfficeRoyal London Hospital
34
35
The Case for Change
Whitechapel needs a properly thought out vision, which will set out a goal for the future
development of the area, together with a plan to explain how the vision will be realised. In
other words, a Masterplan.
The Masterplan must promote and enhance what is special about Whitechapel, put
right what is holding Whitechapel back and respond to what the local community thinks
the area should be. It also needs to fit in with the other plans and strategies covering the
borough and London as a whole.
It needs to provide a planned, phased and deliverable framework, which will shape
future development and growth in the area. It must contribute to the following aims and
objectives:
• Build on the strength of Whitechapel Market;
• Improve the shopping centre and its offer;
• Create new jobs and improve access to existing jobs through skills; development;
• Reduce crime and make the area feel safe and welcoming;
• Make sure there is enough good quality housing of all kinds both new and
refurbished;
• Attract visitors and create a sustainable evening economy;
• Make a real contribution in terms of health, education and leisure facilities;
• Improve the public realm, and create new public spaces;
• Ensure that all current and future development proposals are successfully integrated
with and contribute to the future development of the wider area;
• Preserve and enhance the quality of the built heritage environment;
• Enhance and improve the natural environment;
• Identify improvements for both traffic and public transport;
• Improve links and accessibility throughout the area and with adjoining areas; and
• Identify funding and attract investment.
