Tower Hamlets council has turned down HTA Design plans for a 189-home development in Bethnal Green because of concerns with its affordable housing mix and design quality.

The Cambridge Heath Road scheme, created for Telford Homes, features 40% affordable housing measured by habitable room – or 65 units of varying sizes – on the site of a former London Electricity Board office block. It also includes 1,676sq m of flexible commercial space.

While the proposals contain enough affordable housing according to the council’s rules, the tenure mix was 46:54 in favour of intermediate housing such as part-buy, part-rent, putting it at odds with council’s stipulated 70:30 split in favour of rented homes.

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