Matrix Partnership was commissioned in December 2007 to produce a masterplan for Hackney Central’s town centre, to be adopted as an Area Action Plan / DPD.

As one of the Borough’s principal town centres and foremost ‘civic heart’, Hackney Central is required to fulfil a range of functions and is thus a key area for regeneration. The Hackney Central Masterplan recognises the need to significantly improve the town centre’s public realm setting, upgrade the retail offer, whilst also accommodating London Plan housing targets.

A fundamental issue to be addressed is the need for Hackney’s various town centres to identify their distinctive role within the borough-wide cluster of centres. This ensures that each centre is mutually supportive of the other and provides a much stronger and more competitive borough ‘offer’.

The Masterplan is to be adopted as a document that is supplementary to the London Plan and as such the approach to Sustainability Appraisal and Energy Assessment, for example, have been advanced in a way that is compatible with GLA policy