LIGHT BAR AND REDEVELOPMENT OF SHOREDITCH

That this House notes the plans submitted to the London Borough of Hackney for a regeneration scheme at Bishops Place which will result in the demolition of The Light, formerly the electric power station for the Great Eastern Railway from 1893 and now a popular bar and restaurant, which acts as the gateway to Hackney and distinguishes for future generations the difference between Hackney and the City; regrets the decision by current owners Hammerson plc to ignore the protests of the occupier, customers of The Light and local residents; further notes the support in recent years of respected organisations including the Hackney Society, the Victorian Society, the Ancient Monuments Society, the Commission for Architecture in the Built Environment and English Heritage for the campaign Saving the Light; welcomes the alternative scheme designed by architects Willingale Associates which will retain the regeneration scheme for Shoreditch but preserve The Light, and in so doing send a clear message to developers of skyscrapers that London does not want skyscrapers at all costs, but only in the right area; and calls on the Government and the Mayor of London to save this historic former industrial building for the benefit of future generations.