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Dalston Character Areas

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Dalston Character Areas

Dalston has a varied and unique character, with no two areas alike even within the Town Centre boundary. The draft Dalston Plan identifies 7 Character Areas within the town centre. Each character areas considers several factors such as architecture, the type of public realm, street patterns and special local spaces.  

Each Character Area has a set of development guidelines, opportunity sites and public realm projects that aim to guide development and regeneration in Dalston to 2033. 

For more information see Part 5 (Character Areas and Opportunity Site) of the draft Dalston Plan available to download here. To view and comment on each character area, click on the links below or click next.   

Character Areas:

1. Kingsland High Street

2. Ridley Road

3. Kingsland Shopping Centre

4. Ashwin Street

5. Dalston Lane

6. Dalston Square

7. Eastern Curve







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Kingsland High Street Character Area





Kingsland High Street is a busy commercial area, characterised by two, three and four-storey terraced properties, many of which contain ground floor retail uses. Kingsland High Street is currently a busy vehicular and pedestrian high street. It is also home to Dalston Kingsland Overground Station and the main entrance to Kingsland Shopping Centre. The Character Area contains parts of three Conservation Areas, and the detailing and features of some of the buildings is of high architectural quality. Many of the terraces on the high street however, sit quite close to the pavement, meaning there is not a lot of space for pedestrians at present. There is a high level of footfall on these narrow pavements.


You can download the guidance for Kingsland High Street Character Area in the draft Dalston Plan here.


Opportunities for Kingsland High Street Character Area: 

  • To enhance green infrastructure within the existing public realm through increased provision of street trees and urban greening.

  • To improve the public realm along Kingsland High Street through pavement widening and improved pedestrian crossings, especially between Dalston Kingsland Station and Ridley Road.

  • Opportunity sites offer the potential to optimise housing delivery, including affordable housing. Proposals should preserve or enhance buildings of heritage value and Conservation Areas.

  • To promote a mix of commercial and retail uses on ground floors to provide vibrant and varied active street frontages throughout the Town Centre.

  • To support the vibrancy and safety of Kingsland High Street and Gillett Square by encouraging development that retains an active frontage to streets and spaces.


Opportunity Sites:

  • Opportunity Site D1 - 130 Kingsland High Street and site to the rear 130A Kingsland High Street (find more information here

  • Opportunity Site D2 - Dalston Kingsland Station and associated works (find more information here

  • Opportunity Site D9 - Stamford Works (find more information here)


Public Realm Projects:

  • PRP 3 - Junction of Abbot Street and Ashwin Street (find more information here

  • PRP 4 - Junction of Dalston Lane and Martel Place (find more information here

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Ridley Road Character Area




Ridley Road is home to a vibrant retail and commercial uses at ground level. The street market is an important space within the Town Centre and should be preserved and enhanced.


You can download the guidance for Ridley Road Character Area in the draft Dalston Plan here.

 

Opportunities for Ridley Road Character Area:

  • To provide new street trees to Ridley Road and new greening.

  • The implementation of public realm projects identified in the Good Growth Fund will support and encourage sustainable travel on Ridley Road.

  • To identify further public realm projects to support the vibrancy of Ridley Road by retaining and enhancing activation on the ground floors. 

  • Ridley Road Market will continue to be protected and the Council will ensure that the traders have the support to function sustainably. 

  • Ridley Road Market has been identified as an area for attracting anti-social behaviour (ASB). The Council will work in partnership with stakeholders to tackle persistent ASB.

 

Opportunity Sites:

Opportunity Site D6 - Ridley Road 

  • (find more information here)

  • Opportunity Site D7 - Birkbeck Mews (find more information here)




Public Realm Projects:

  • PRP 1 Junction of Ridley Road and Dalston Lane 

  • (find more information here)

  • PRP 7 Junction between Winchester Place and Birkbeck Road (find more information here

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Kingsland Shopping Centre Character Area



The current Kingsland Shopping Centre site has a poor relationship with its neighbours, preventing movement across the Town Centre. There is an opportunity to create new routes, provide new open spaces and better connect the different character areas of Dalston together.  



You can download the guidance for Kingsland Shopping Centre Character Area in the draft Dalston Plan here.


Opportunities for Kingsland Shopping Centre Character Area: 

  • for new streets and spaces to come forward as part of the development to offer playful, well-connected and engaging places that offer new green infrastructure.
  • to improve the pedestrian experience, as well as offering improved east-west links between Dalston Lane and Kingsland High Street. 
  • to provide significant numbers of new housing units, including affordable housing. A fine grain approach to the Character Area will help to ensure the positive characteristics of Dalston’s built environment are contained within any proposals.
  • Active ground floor uses are encouraged, which can help to enliven these new streets and spaces.
  • The redevelopment of the Kingsland Shopping Centre should seek to incorporate mixed uses across the development with a focus on retail and commercial uses on the ground floor.
  • The redevelopment of the Kingsland Shopping Centre is an opportunity to grow the creative and cultural hub located on Ashwin Street.

Opportunity Sites:

  • Opportunity Site D4 - 36-42 Kingsland High Street (find more information here
  • Opportunity Site D5 - Kingsland Shopping Centre (find more information here


Public Realm Projects:

  • PRP 4 - Junction of Dalston Lane and Martel Place (find more information here)
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Ashwin Street Character Area



Ashwin Street has a unique character, which is largely defined by the high quality locally listed buildings at 18-22 Ashwin Street, the Shiloh Pentecostal Church, 16 Ashwin Street and 11 Dalston Lane, as well as the public realm and vibrant cultural uses at ground level. Ashwin Street is a hub for the arts, culture and creative industries. 



You can download the guidance for Ashwin Street Character Area in the draft Dalston Plan here.


Opportunities for Ashwin Street Character Area:

  • The Dalston Eastern Curve Garden must be protected as an open, enclosed space. 
  • To improve the public realm, in order to enhance Ashwin Street as a quiet alternative route, and increase the accessibility of walking and cycling. 
  • The public realm to Ashwin Street to be improved as outlined in the Implementation and Delivery Plan. New development can help to further activate Ashwin Street, enhancing the street edge and character of this area.
  • There is an opportunity to enhance the existing commercial space which will help maintain a busy active frontage. Existing workspace should be retained.
  • There is an opportunity to further preserve and enhance the existing offering for the arts, culture and creative industries.
  •  

Opportunity Sites:

  • Opportunity Site D3 - 1-7 Dalston Lane and 1-7 Ashwin Street (find more information here
  • Opportunity Site D8 - 2-16 Ashwin Street, 11-15 Dalston Lane (find more information here
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Dalston Lane Character Area



The Dalston Lane Character Area is based upon the historic route from Dalston to Hackney Central. It features numerous buildings of heritage value and this character area is located within the Dalston Lane (West) Conservation Area. 


You can download the guidance for Dalston Lane Character Area in the draft Dalston Plan here.

  • The existing pedestrian routes can be improved in order to provide greater green infrastructure such as street trees, helping to make the street environment more pleasant to pedestrians.

  • Development in the Dalston Lane Character Area has the opportunity to enhance sustainable transport while improving the public realm to make it a pleasant environment.

  • New development should enhance the character of the existing buildings of heritage value and preserve or enhance the character of the Conservation Area. There is the possibility of delivering greater housing capacity on opportunity sites, with active ground floor frontage. 

  • Mixed-use development on Dalston Lane Character Area will be supported to provide new commercial  and community uses that cater to a range of businesses and communities in the area.

  • There are community uses in the areas that will need to be retained and opportunities to increase natural surveillance by implementing improvement to the public realm.  

Opportunity Sites: 

  • D10 - Former CLR James Library, 16-22 Dalston Lane, 62 Beechwood (find more information here)

Public Realm Projects:

  • PRP 6 - Space outside site D10, Former CLR James Library (find more information here)




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Dalston Square Character Area




The Dalston Square Character Area comprises the recent Dalston Square development and associated public realm. Due to the extent of recent development, it is considered unsuitable for additional substantial development, however there is opportunity to improve and enhance the existing character. Dalston Square Character Area is a hub for commercial businesses predominantly on the ground floor.


You can download the guidance for Dalston Square Character Area in the draft Dalston Plan here.

Opportunities for Kingsland Shopping Centre Character Area:

  • There is an opportunity for increased greening to Dalston Square through any improvements to the public realm. 
  • There is an opportunity to utilise the public square as a route for pedestrians, and for more cycle infrastructure. 
  • Active uses at ground level are encouraged to contribute to the vitality of this space. 
  • Opportunities to work with the Council to support flexible uses for new and existing businesses. 
  • There are opportunities within the Dalston Square Character Area to support cultural events catering to different communities in Dalston.
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Eastern Curve Character Area



The Eastern Curve Character Area comprises predominantly 6 - 8 storey blocks that help define the adjoining streets including Ramsgate Street and Tyssen Street. To the west of the Character Area, sites are bounded to the north-west by the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden. Although there are no Opportunity Sites identified within this Character Area, should development come forward proposals should adhere to the Character Area Guidelines. 


You can download the guidance for Eastern Curve Character Area in the draft Dalston Plan here.

Opportunities for Easter Curve Character Area:

  • Any development should carefully consider its impact on the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, in order to preserve this space.
  • There are opportunities for development to support new routes for walking and cycling in this area.
  • New proposals should be of high quality and enhance the character of this area. There is the potential for public realm improvements to streets.
  • The Eastern Curve Character Area is located in a Priority Office Area as identified in Hackney’s Local Plan 2033.
  • Development within the Eastern Curve Character Area has an opportunity to enhance existing routes, so they feel safe and accessible at all hours.


 

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