The Save Light campaign has been creating many a wave in the capital and in the press of late. Londoners are up in arms over its proposed its demolition to make way for a 53 story tower block.

The Light, which is currently a very popular and thriving bar -restaurant is the first building that you see when you approach Hackney from the City, it separates the two very different areas of London - and therefore is considered very important. Locals are not simply fired up over the loss of an important historical building, but also over the loss of a community hub to a building that is not an appropriate replacement - and doesn’t fit in with the scene of the street.

The campaign has had a helping hand in form of support from a number of local celebrities including Tracey Emin and Suggs. However, usual forms of protest are being abandoned and opposing residents are going ‘independent’ on this one. The idea is that Shoreditch was once considered outside of the City walls of London and therefore escaped its jurisdiction. Shoreditch was considered to have a small extra parochial ‘liberty’ providing it with a separate status from the city. This liberty was thought to have been abolished around 1900 – turns out that might not have been the case and the independence liberty could still apply – making the re-developments impossible.

Let’s hope this is another victory for independence.

Check out the Save the Light official site if you want to find out more, or show your support.

Photo by munksynz over on Flickr