- Decision
- allowed, 17 August 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: A Caines
- Authority
- Hackney (London)
- Appeal reference
- 6010972
- Application reference
- 2025/2059
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Change of use of never-occupied basement youth club (and part ground floor) to drinking establishment with food, kitchen extract
- Site context
- inside settlement, listed building setting
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- No Framework version cited
- Determinative policies
- s38(6)
- Development plan policies
- Hackney Local Plan 2020 LP8, London Plan 2021 S1, Dalston Plan
- Main issues
- loss of social and community infrastructure
Summary
Change of use of a basement youth club, provided under a 2017 redevelopment but never used, to a bar and restaurant. Allowed. The conflict with community-facility policy carried much reduced weight because there was no realistic prospect of youth use (DL ¶12, 15). Decided on 17 August 2026. The Framework is mentioned only in the conditions paragraph, with no version identified.
What made the difference
The facility had never operated and no operator was interested. The inspector held that a lack of marketing was not determinative where the policy's purpose, protecting infrastructure with a realistic prospect of community benefit, was not served (DL ¶9).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| LP8 (Hackney LP) / S1 (London Plan) | conflict | limited | loss of lawful youth club in principle, but weight "substantially reduced" — replacement facility never operated, no occupier interest; no marketing not determinative (DL 6-15) |
| HC6 | pass | no Framework policy cited on merits — code mapped by harvester (loss of community facility) |
Key facts
- Youth club floorspace re-provided under 2017 redevelopment, never occupied since completion (DL 4-6)
- East India Dock Road appeal APP/E5900/W/25/3376318 distinguished (DL 14)
- Cross costs applications decided separately (DL 2)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.