Your views on the future of Brick Lane Central

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Tower Hamlets Council is drafting some new planning guidance – a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) – that will help shape development in the area we've identified as Brick Lane Central (map provided below). Your feedback is critical to this process.

For more information about this piece of work, and the influence it can have, visit our webpage Let’s Talk | Brick Lane Central Masterplan, where you can also read about other ways to feed back, including engagement events in Spring and Summer 2023.

This survey is an opportunity to share your views with us about what makes the area special, what we need to protect, and what you'd like to see happen.

All questions are optional; only answer those that interest you. Most simply ask you to select one or more answers – but almost all allow you to provide more detail in your own words should you wish to.

Paper versions of the survey will be available at in-person events, or you can request one for collection from Whitechapel Town Hall. Please email bricklanemasterplan@towerhamlets.gov.uk for more information.

This research is carried out in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act, and the information you provide will be used only for research purposes.

The map below highlights the area to which this survey relates.

1. What is your relationship to Brick Lane Central? Please select all that apply.

I currently live in or very close to the Brick Lane Central masterplan area

I currently live in the borough of Tower Hamlets / in Spitalfields and Banglatown / elsewhere nearby

I currently work in or very close to the Brick Lane Central study masterplan area

I currently work in the area surrounding Tower Hamlets / in Spitalfields and Banglatown / elsewhere nearby

I regularly or occasionally visit Brick Lane Central for shopping, dining, entertainment, to catch up with family/friends, etc

I used to live / work / visit Brick Lane Central, but don’t anymore

None of the above, but I do care about Brick Lane Central and its future

2. Which, if any, of the following describe how you currently use Brick Lane Central? Please select all that apply.

I walk through Brick Lane Central to get somewhere else

I visit the cafes and/or restaurants in Brick Lane Central

I visit the bars/pubs/venues in Brick Lane Central

I go to Brick Lane Central to use services (e.g. groceries, gym, medical, shops, transport)

I go to Brick Lane Central to use community facilities (e.g. school, mosque)

I go to my place of work in Brick Lane Central

None of the above – I’m never in Brick Lane Central

Other:

3. On average, how often do you currently go to or pass through Brick Lane Central?

Daily

Weekly

Fortnightly

Once a month

Every 2-3 months

2-3 times a year

Once a year or less

Other:

Clear selection

4(a). Which, if any, of the following statements do you agree with? Please select all that apply.

"Brick Lane Central is important today as..."

A place for locals

A place for all Londoners

A place for visitors from across the UK

A place for international visitors

None of these

4(b). Do you think any of the statements above are more important than others? If yes, why?

5(a). Compared with 10 to 20 years ago, which one statement below do you think best describes Brick Lane Central now?

Brick Lane Central has mostly changed for the better

Brick Lane Central has stayed the same

Brick Lane Central has mostly changed for the worse

I don’t know

Clear selection

5(b). Can you tell us why you feel that way?

6(a). Do you feel that the Brick Lane Central area currently meets the needs of all its communities?

Yes

Somewhat

Clear selection

6(b). Can you tell us why or why not?

7(a). In your opinion, how important, if at all, are the following to the character of Brick Lane Central?

Not at all important

Not very important

Somewhat important

Important

Very Important

Can't say

People who live in the area

People who visit the area

Places for community activities

The amount of activity in the area

The age of the buildings

Places for people to live

The architecture and materials of the buildings

Places for businesses

The public spaces (streets and parks)

The scale and size of the buildings

Clear selection

7(b). If you'd like to, please share any details or an explanation of your answers to the questions above.

8. Are there any specific activities, buildings or places within the Brick Lane Central area that are of significant social or historical value to you? Please list them below and tell us why you think they are important.

9. What, if anything, do you particularly like or value about the look and feel of buildings in the Brick Lane Central area?

10(a). When it comes to possible FUTURE development of the Brick Lane Central area, how much do you agree with the following statements?

These statements draw on themes and ideas that feedback from previous consultation activity has tended to prioritise or - in some cases - debate.

We know statements can mean different things to different people, so there is space at question 10(b) to give detail or background regarding any of your responses.

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Somewhat disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Somewhat agree

Agree

Strongly agree

1. Development plans for the area should look to provide as much social and/or genuinely affordable rented housing as possible.

2. Provision of affordable, council-run community services should be a priority for the area.

3. Smaller local businesses & start-ups should be recognised for their role in the community, with future development plans actively seeking ways to support and promote them.

4. Accommodating more larger businesses should be a priority for the area, with future development plans looking to ensure a significant amount of high-quality commercial space.

5. More green spaces should be actively created and prioritised, preventing the area's over-concretisation.

6. Taller buildings (i.e. 10 storeys or above) would be welcome in general in the area.

7. Taller buildings (i.e. 10 storeys or above) would be welcome in the area if they help provide more social and genuinely affordable housing.

8. The area's historic and cultural identity should be carefully retained, promoted and enhanced.

9. Future development plans should be culturally sensitive to the diverse needs of all of the area's residents, regardless of race, belief or background.

10. The voices of everyone in the area (inc. residents, businesses, and cultural & faith orgs.) should be able to feed into plans for future development.