Recovery by the Secretary of State

On Wednesday 22 October during the morning session it was announced that the decision has been recovered by the Secretary of State. The letter from the Planning Inspectorate is here.

Planning Inspectorate

Letter from PINS 27 June 2025

Planning Inspector: Paul Griffiths

Planning admin contact: Alison Dyson - alison.dyson@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Appeal ref   APP/E5900/W/25/3367041 (with three linked cases - one case per planning application and listed building consent)

Dates

Public Inquiry to open 10:00am 14 October 2025. 12 days allocated, Tuesday-Friday over three weeks. 

First two weeks - Brady Arts Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Street, London E1 5HU

Final week - Tower Hamlets Town Hall,160 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1BJ

Core Documents

https://towerhamlets.app.box.com/s/a4o9devw2xr9uew5ureo0isfisvx0sfp/folder/343540646306

Additional documents of note:

- Consultation History [ pdf ]

- Petition - substantive comments [ pdf ]

Video archive

https://towerhamlets.public-i.tv/core/portal/home

ConserveConnect - daily summaries

https://conserveconnect.news/tag/brick-lane-inquiry/

Timetable and transcripts

Appelant - Truman Estates

LPA - Local Planning Authority, Tower Hamlets Council

R6 - Rule 6 Party, Save Brick Lane campaign

Week 1 - Location: Brady Centre

Tue 14 - Day 1

 Inspector’s opening remarks, openings statements, Appellant design presentation

Wed 15 - Day 2 

R6 design evidence: Burrell; LPA heritage evidence: Froneman.

Thur 16 - Day 3 

AM: R6 heritage evidence: Forshaw; LPA Design evidence: Reynolds [ transcript ]

PM: LPA Design evidence: Reynolds. Appellant’s design evidence: Yeoman  [ transcript ]  

Fri 17 - Day 4 

Appellant’s design evidence: Morris; appellant heritage evidence: Dunn [ transcript ] 

Week 2 - Location: Brady Centre

Tue 21 - Day 5 

Morning. Appellant’s design / heritage evidence cont. 

Afternoon: third party submissions. [ document ]

Wed 22 -Day 6 

Morning. Appellant’s design / heritage evidence cont. [ transcript ]

Afternoon. Appellant’s data centre evidence: McGinley. [ transcript ]

Thur 23 - Day 7

Morning: McGinley (contd.), LPA planning evidence: Kiely. [ transcript ]

Afternoon: Kiely (contrd.)  R6 evidence: Osmani (cultural impact); Shafique (cultural impact); [ transcript ]

Fri 24 - Day 8

Morning: R6 Almeida (business impact); Manchanda (planning). [ transcript ]

Afternoon: Appellant's planning witness - Marginson [ transcript ]

Week 3- Location: Town Hall 

Tue 28 - Day 9 

Morning:3rd Party Daylight / Sunlight (Michael Ball) [ pdf ]. 
3rd party community submissions [ document ], Marginson [ transcript ]

Afternoon: Appellant planning evidence. Marginson

Thurs 30 - Day 11 

site visit

Fri 31 - Day 12 

3rd party community submission (Malique) [ pdf ]

Closing arguments: 

Save Brick Lane [ pdf ]

Tower Hamlets Council [ pdf ]

Appelant [ pdf ]

Who's Who

Applicant - Truman Estates

Planning / consultants

Julian Shirley (DP9), Laura Dimond, Paul Reynolds, Tom Larsson (Grow Places), Jonathan Ward

Legal team

Russell Harris KC (Landmark Chambers)

Andrew Parkinson (Landmark Chambers)

Gael Hardie?  Neil Kennard?

Witnesses

Matt Yeoman - design & architecture

Jo Morris Morris & Co - design & architecture

Mike Dunn - Townscape Consultancy / heritage

Ailish Killilea - Townscape Consultancy / townscape

Celeste McGinley - data centre need

Jonathan Marginson - DP9 - planning

Statements of Case  [ pdf ]

PA/24/01439/A1 (Ely’s Yard office block)

PA/24/01450/A1 (Gray Eagle Street data centre)

PA/24/01451/A1 (Brick Lane East)

PA/24/01475/NC (Listed Building Consent)

Draft Statement of Common Ground [ pdf ]

Witness Proofs of Evidence

Rebuttals by the Appellant witnesses

Local Authority - London Borough of Tower Hamlets

LBTH Planning team

Paul Buckenham - Head of planning

Gareth Gwynne - Area manager, northwest

Chris Krilly - Team manager

Legal team

Richard Wald (KC, Essex chambers)

Hugh Flanagan (Junior, Arthur Taylor Chambers)

Witnesses

Mike Kiely - planning

Paul Reynolds - urban design

Ignuss Froneman - heritage

Statement of Case  [ pdf ]

Witness Proofs of Evidence

Rebuttal by LPA witness Mike Kiely

Rule 6 party - Save Brick Lane

Legal team

Susan Ring (Partner, Goodenough Ring Solicitors) 

Flora Curtis (Junior, Essex Chambers)

Witnesses

Heritage: Alec Forshaw - [ proof ] 

Design: John Burrell [ proof ] [ rebuttal ]

Planning Seema Manchanda  - [ proof ] [ rebuttal ]

Community: Dr Tanzil Shafique - [ proof ]

Community: Adam Almeida - [ proof ]

Community: Saif Osmani - [ proof ] [ rebuttal ]

Statement of Case [ pdf ]

Other Public Inquires

Marks & Spencer 2022 (Russell Harris KC, Alec Forshaw)