One of London's most powerful council politicians has launched a campaign to "save Shoreditch" and protect Tech City from being "plunged into darkness" by a high-rise development.
Hackney's Jules Pipe, one of three directly elected mayors on London borough councils, has called on Boris Johnson to withdraw his support for a project that will see two towers nearly as tall as Canary Wharf's One Canada Square built at the Bishopsgate Goodsyard site.
Developers Hammerson and partner Ballymore have submitted plans for the site including the construction of almost 1500 homes in seven towers of up to 46 storeys, offices and shops.
The scheme would also create a public park on land derelict since a 1964 fire.
But Mr Pipe has hit out at the proposals and started a petition, that has so far attracted more than 500 signatures, urging Mr Johnson to drop his support for the plan.
He said: "These luxury flats, which are well beyond the reach of ordinary Londoners, will cast a shadow over the whole of Tech City, and threaten to damage the local, creative economy.
“Luxury accommodation does nothing to help London’s housing crisis and brings no value to Tech City, and we fear that such a major development will strip the area of its character."
A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: "The Mayor has confirmed that he is broadly supportive of this scheme but he has asked Hackney and Tower Hamlets Councils to carry out further work on several aspects of the proposal including looking at the amount of affordable housing offered, the amount of employment space and the scale of one of the plots that is proposed.
"Should an alternative scheme come forward, the Mayor would consider it on its merits.”
Hammerson and Ballymore have said proposals were being looked at again in the wake of local opposition.
A statement said: "We are currently working on revised plans that, where possible, address the issues raised by various stakeholders and, more recently, the Mayor of Hackney."
The developers added their "vision" was guided by "approved planning policies" that allow for the construction of tall buildings in the area.
