Hackney is yours: help shape its future

Overview

We’re proud of Hackney, its diversity, its creativity and its deep-rooted sense of community.

But we know you see its issues too – an extreme housing crisis, a high cost-of-living, and dramatic change that hasn’t always put local people first.

And, for too many people, decisions about how Hackney is run feel like they’ve been made without listening to the very people who should be benefitting.
So we’re changing that. However you feel about the borough, Hackney is yours – and we need you to help shape its future.

Hackney is yours is a conversation about the future of the borough. We want to hear what you value about Hackney today, what you think needs to change, and what should be prioritised for the future.

It marks the start of a new way of putting local people at the heart of decision making:

Ensuring you can influence plans at the very earliest stage
Giving you more power to influence decisions by bringing representative groups of people together in a new Citizen’s Assembly

Your views will help shape two important plans:

The Borough Plan

The Borough Plan will set out a long-term vision for Hackney in 2040. It will describe the kind of borough we want Hackney to be and the priorities that the Council, its partners and communities will need to work towards.

It will also build on Hackney’s Social Justice Framework, which is about creating a fairer borough and reducing inequality. Your views will help us understand what matters most to people in Hackney and where we should focus our efforts in the years ahead.

The Local Plan

The Local Plan is about how Hackney's places develop and change. It will guide how land is used and where new homes, jobs, services and public spaces are needed, as well as setting planning policies on issues including transport, design, town centres, climate change, nature and the historic environment.

The new Local Plan will guide development across Hackney over the next 15 years and will eventually replace the existing Local Plan.

Why are we asking now?

We are at the beginning of developing these plans. Nothing has been decided yet.

We already have evidence and information about Hackney, but data alone cannot tell us what people value about their neighbourhoods, what they want to see change or what they want Hackney to be like in the future.

That is why we are asking you now.

This is the first stage of an ongoing conversation about Hackney's future. We will use what we hear now to understand what matters to people, identify priorities and help develop the plans.

There will be further opportunities to get involved as the plans develop. We will come back to communities to explore issues in more detail, test emerging ideas and proposals, and ask for feedback on the plans before they are finalised.

What will happen to my feedback?

We will bring together feedback from the surveys, conversations at our events and engagement with communities and organisations across Hackney.

We will analyse what people tell us alongside other evidence about the borough. This will help shape the emerging Borough Plan and Local Plan and inform the next stages of engagement.

We will also publish information explaining what we heard and how your feedback has influenced the plans.

Want to get more involved?

Tell us if you would be interested in taking part in future opportunities to help shape Hackney's plans, including a Citizens' Assembly.

Expressing an interest does not commit you to taking part. Some activities will have limited places and, where this happens, we may select participants to make sure different communities, experiences and perspectives from across Hackney are represented.

Keep up to date

This is the first stage of an ongoing conversation about Hackney's future. Sign up for updates about the Borough Plan, Local Plan or both, including future opportunities to have your say as the plans develop.

Interests

Democracy and participation
Gathering ideas
Planning
Understanding views