Limehouse Triangle biodiversity site lost

THE triangle of green biodiversity space between the two bridges out of Limehouse Basin has been lost to developers.

This nature reserve was created in 2000 by the side of the Regent's Canal at Limehouse, but was soon surrounded by tower blocks and is now lost forever with Tower Hamlet's Council giving permission for another tower block to be erected on the space, Alan Tilbury reports.

Cut down the trees

There were many objections to the development, but Tower Hamlets used its might and craftily knocked back the objections of it being a nature reserve by simply cutting down all the trees and clearing the site before the vote by the Labour council, thus getting it passed as it was no longer a biodiversity site!

Such were the objections that it took the council five attempts to get the planning permission it needed, but obviously intended to by any means.

Protocol breached

Yet evidence to the planning committee recalled protocol being breached by hurriedly clearing the site before an application to build on it was made and before it could be listed as an asset of community value.

Moorers at Limehouse Basin objected, with one telling that 'one day the council turned up and cut down every single tree and left it like a desert'. Canal & River Trust had just  objected to the scale of the tower overshadowing the waterway.