Save Brick Lane FAQ

LINKS

SBL website -  https://sites.google.com/view/savebricklane

Contact - battle4bricklane@gmail.com


Q1 What’s happening?

A1 As of January 2026 - The council’s Strategic Development Committee voted to refuse the Truman Brewery planning applications on 31 July. 2025 Trumans appealed, and a Planning Inquiry was held over three weeks in October. During the Inquiry, Secretary of State Steve Reed announced he had ‘recovered’ the application so that he  would be the  final decision-maker. The Inspector indicated he would aim to complete his report and recommendation by early January 2026 and pass to the Steve Reed for consideration. No date has been announced for the decision to be issued.

Q2 Who is the Save Brick Lane coalition?

A3 It is a grassroots campaign group, loosely formed of diverse community, charity groups, residents and those who are connected to the area of Spitalfields and Banglatown through their families or their work in the area.

Q3 - How long have we been campaigning to Save Brick Lane?

A3 SBL have been campaigning for more than 5 years to Save Brick Lane. We started in 2020 when Truman Estate submitted its first planning application to build a shopping and office complex on Woodseer Street. This application was approved by the previous Strategic Development Committee amid the COVID-19 pandemic by a vote of 2 to 1, despite more than 7000 objections and widespread demonstrations and protests against the development.

Q4 - Why is SBL against the Truman Brewery developments?

A4 Truman Brewery’s proposed developments, which consist mainly of gated office blocks, offer no benefit to local residents and community groups:

 

o   87% of the site of 10 acres will be devoted to office and commercial use

o   Only 6 units of social housing

o   0.2% for community space

o   Gated office blocks meant no through routes

o   Power-hungry data centre where homes could be built.

o   Restricted access to open space

o   The extensive development costs will mean high rents and the displacement of local businesses, who will be priced out

Q5 - What is the Community or Alternative Plan?

A5 Save Brick Lane campaigned for a community-led masterplan, and one was developed by the council and adopted in 2024. This masterplan emphasises the need for housing in Spitalfields and Banglatown with an indicative delivery of 345 homes on the Truman Brewery site. Truman Estates forced the council to withdraw the masterplan under threat of legal action, but it is now being incorporated into the new Local Plan, which is currently in draft form. The Save Brick Lane campaign has developed this alternative into a detailed proposal of how such a vision could be delivered.

Q6 - Why is the Alternative Plan better than the Truman Plan?

A6 It emphasises housing and amenity to meet the needs of the existing local community, as opposed to the corporate office development that Trumans are proposing.


Q7 - What is the council’s view of the Truman Estate Plan?

A7 The council has developed a masterplan which focuses on housing and a more balanced use of the site. This masterplan was consulted on extensively for a year. The Truman has launched a legal challenge to the council to rescind its masterplan in its attempt to push ahead with a development against the community and the council’s wishes. 


Q8 - What can the council do to protect Brick Lane from this threat?

A8 Refuse the Truman  Brewery planning applications.


Q9 - What can the community do to stop the Truman Estate developments?

A9


Q10 - Is it true that Truman Estate has brought the case to the Planning Inspectorate? What does this mean for the fate of Brick Lane?

A10 Yes. Trumans have appealed on the grounds that the council has taken too long to decide the applications. The Inspectorate is now the decision-making body. The council will meet on 31 July to determine what they would have chosen if they were still in control. However, their opinion will be forwarded to the Inspectorate, which will conduct a public hearing over two weeks, starting from 14 October.

Q11 - What is the Community Day of Action on July 31

A11 We believe this case will be brought to the next SDP meeting on July 31. The Community Day of Action is a call-out to all residents and workers in Spitalfields & Banglatown to join us outside the Whitechapel Town Hall to demonstrate and call for all councillors to vote against the Truman Estate scheme.


Q12 - If more office blocks are built, wouldn’t the curry houses have more business?

A12 Office workers are predicted to spend £8.71 per day in the local area. Most of this will be spent on lunch and coffee. Businesses that will primarily benefit from this will be lunchtime sandwich shops such as Pret. The ground floor of the new development includes increased restaurant use competition (equivalent to 12 Gram Bangla restaurants), retail, and beverage (equivalent to 30 times the size of the Brick Lane Post Office).


Q12.1 - Will the new development increase nighttime economy activities?

A12.1 Yes, this is a stated aim of the development. The retail, bar, restaurant, cinema, and leisure uses will extend to the nighttime economy. The objective is to expand and deliver more nighttime economy uses.


Q13 - Why does SBL think that the rent for small businesses will increase?

A13 Corporate offices will attract corporate retail chains to cater to those office workers, who can pay high rents. These will set new benchmarks for market rents in Brick Lane, which landlords can use during rent reviews.


Q14 - The land belongs to Truman Estate - how do we stop them from building on land which belongs to them

A14 This is the role of the planning system. The masterplan, developed by the council and the new Local Plan, sets a framework for acceptable development. Both documents emphasise housing for the Truman Brewery site.


Q15 - Can the public still object to the Truman Estate’s planning applications?

A15 The decision is now with the Secretary of State, Steve Reed.