1. Bow Wharf: Refused
Tower Hamlets Council refused planning permission in December 2025 for H2O Urban’s proposal to build 66 flats at Bow Wharf, replacing three timber buildings currently occupied by local businesses and community groups with two new residential blocks. The Forum welcomed the decision, which aligns with our Neighbourhood Plan policy HE1 requiring any development at Bow Wharf to maintain a mix of uses, preserve heritage character and provide affordable workspace. The matter is not closed. The Canal & River Trust has a history of overturning refusals on appeal it did so successfully in 2014 and may do so again. A separate legal battle is also underway over a 2019 heritage report on the site which the Trust has refused to share with the Forum. The Information Commissioner ruled in our favour, but the Trust has appealed to a First-Tier Tribunal. That hearing, originally set for 27 March, has been postponed to on or after 19 June 2026.
2. Chisenhale Works
Chisenhale Art Place is home to Chisenhale Dance Space, Chisenhale Gallery and Chisenhale Studios. It faces an uncertain future. Its lease ends in December 2031, rent is only secure until the end of 2026, and the derelict western wing of the building has been earmarked for 52 new homes under the Mayor’s Accelerated Housing Programme (architects: HTA). The three charities are not opposed to housing on the site, but are clear that development must be coordinated with a long-term affordable lease for the whole building without that, external funders will not invest. The Forum shares that view. Chisenhale is an irreplaceable community and cultural resource, and any development must safeguard it as a whole.
3. John Onslow House, Roman Road Market
The former Council offices on Ewart Place, just off Roman Road Market, are earmarked for 225 new homes under the Mayor’s Accelerated Housing Programme (architects: Pollard Thomas Edwards). A development of this scale, directly adjacent to the market, could significantly affect traders and businesses on the high street for better or worse depending on how it is handled. The Council has acknowledged the opportunity to improve market infrastructure as part of the scheme. The Forum will push for meaningful community engagement from the earliest stages of design.
4. Clare House
A taller replacement for a failing tower.
The unsafe 22-storey Clare House tower on Hawthorn Avenue is to be demolished and replaced with a 23-storey block and 4–5 storey pavilion homes, delivering 145 social rented homes and a new community centre. The Forum does not dispute the need for those homes. What is troubling is that low-rise alternatives were never considered. The design statement confirms this and the justification offered is simply that a tall building already exists on the site. If this logic is applied borough-wide, every decommissioned tower becomes a blank cheque for another one.
Here is an article about Clare house on the Slice
5. Zone F
The new draft Local Plan, agreed by full Council in November 2025 and now with the Secretary of State, proposes a sweeping new Zone F for tall buildings covering much of the borough and allowing heights up to 70 metres taller than the Clare House tower currently being demolished. The Forum has consistently opposed this. The Council’s own 2022 Tall Buildings Supplementary Planning Document concluded there was no strong justification for tall buildings across most of the central borough, citing significant heritage assets and modest existing building scale. Zone F largely ignores that evidence. When the independent examination opens in 2026, residents will be able to make formal representations. We will publicise the details when confirmed.