Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Huge housing development proposed at 500 White Hart Lane
I would like to draw Haringey Online members' attention to the proposal that is currently going through Haringey Council's planning process concerning a huge development planned for 500 White Hart Lane.
We have organised a local campaign and a residents association has sprung up as a result.
There is huge opposition locally because the proposal is so over-sized for a suburban area.
For more information see http://www.devonshirehill.org.uk
I am aware for example that the redevelopment of the St Anns Hospital site may end up looking something similar if this goes through.
The second round of consultation formally closes today, 30 June, but you can still comment on the application after that.
Tags for Forum Posts: housing, planning, spurs, tottenham, white hart lane
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Philip on
-
My concern over this development is the change of use aspect. Essentially what has happened is that land designated as light industrial has been bought as such and then an application for change of use puts the value sky high. Then of course how could the Council object to any of the other plots in the larger zone being so redesignated. The whole point of the designation is to keep jobs and services in the locality.
-
Permalink Reply by Sean Wallis on
-
Local Site of Industrial Significance (LSIS).
-
Permalink Reply by Hugh on
-
Then that might be helpful in framing any objection. I'm not au fait enough with the local plan to be able to advise, but a few hours I the Internet digging into Haringey's local plan and associate documents will get you there.
-
Permalink Reply by HoL Site Admin on
-
Ehm, that's Harringay Online, Sean.
-
-
Fair point! As someone who currently lives Beyond the Ladder (TM) I appreciate that this is a tiny bit further afield... But as I suggested, the St Ann's Hospital project could go skywards if this is permitted.
-
-
I hate to write this, but development is inevitable. London needs housing, And judging by the referendum the rest of the country doesn't want to help out (even though they take 92% of our tax money).
Apart from that, any objections you raise MUST be focused on criteria listed on the council website. If people go in arguing that they 'don't like the look of it' or 'it will destroy my privacy' your sunk.
Assume that the buildings ( when built ) will be 25% bigger. Any development that gains planning permission will have secondary applications submitted based on the president set down in the original permit. There's loads of evidence for this across the borough. From small backland developments to large blocks, So focus on restricting size of the whole scheme.
i've experienced this from a small backland development behind my house.
To give yourself a bit more time, try and find out if everyone local has been notified. The council has an obligation to notify households in writing within a certain area (should be any land that abuts the site as a minimum - unless the rules have changed).
Sorry I can't be more helpful,
-
-
Thanks Andy
I agree that this is how to object. This is why you need to be organised, and this is why we had a RA meeting from scratch which got 30-40 in a room and then demanded a Development Forum which saw over 70 cross-examine the developers.
See DHRA's position statement on the proposal for what we are arguing.
People do need to understand that these proposals are not progressive developments to address a housing crisis. (If they were, different steps would be proposed, including requiring by-to-let landlords lease out property and bringing back the Fair Rent Act. The Government's Help to Buy scheme simply fuelled house price inflation. If you want to see why things are done, I suggest you follow the money and ask who benefits?)
Rather, the housing crisis, and government targets for housebuilding, are being used to justify setting aside planning law.
The development is well outside the envelope for height and density that is permitted in the area. It is in an area designated for a different purpose.
Buildings of this height should be set back from the 2 storey houses they sit amongst, so that there is green space around them and they do not overlook.
So why is this project getting any support from councillors (some are for, some against)? What grounds could they have for ignoring planning law?
Answer: because Haringey Council has failed to offer enough space for housebuilding according to government targets. This then allows developers to argue that they must set aside planning restrictions and let them build what they like.
We are fighting this. We are very concerned about the Apex House development.
I am serious when I say St Ann's hospital will be next.
-
-
I know this comment will go down like a lead balloon but how do we expect to make any in-roads to London's housing crisis if we oppose these types of developments? I don't think a development of 5 and 7 storey buildings is excessive and this is more aesthetically pleasing than a lot of developments
-
-
Good question.
Speaking personally, I am in favour of public housing and proportionate development. I have no prejudice against council flats or estates, having lived in a council flat for twenty years. I have campaigned to keep housing in Council hands.
Don't think therefore that we have not been discussing this very question in the RA.
Many of the people involved in the campaign have similar experiences to mine. Most are not opposing it out of some NIMBY reason.
The neighbourhood, north of White Hart Lane, is poorer than the Ladder. But it is not in need of this kind of development.
In fact there are a series of problems with this proposal.
Probably most importantly it rips up existing planning constraints that have been locally determined by Haringey Council. Now you might argue that "the housing crisis" is grounds to rip up the rule book.
But to make that argument you have to establish the cause of the housing crisis,
Here's the problem. The housing crisis in London is not caused by a shortage of housing.
If there was one single cause it is due to the fact that private sector rents are far higher than wages can afford, and this pushes people into house-buying on the one hand, and Councils to lobby to charge "affordable" (near-market) rents on the other.
We could break this down to multiple factors:
- by-to-let landlords (57,000 empty properties),
- no rent controls (the abolition of the fair rent act),
- stock transfers (privatisation of council stock),
- gentrification (pushing poor people out to push up house prices),
- and further deregulation of the housing market through the Housing Act.
If the problem is high rents dominating housing policy, it follows that this crisis will not be solved by allowing large commercial developers to build megacomplexes to rent out at high prices or sell on at £500K a flat. If the market somehow magically "sorted itself out", we would not have 57,000 empty flats in London, and rents would fall until they were all full.
This particular development will net investors around £75M in housing property, for an investment of around £25M.
I won't comment on whether Spurs are genuinely concerned about urban poverty - just point out that they are complicit in a gentrification plan to evict lots of poor people from Tottenham - and let you make your own mind up!
Sean
-
Permalink Reply by Colinloves on
-
Quite shocked at some of the comments. Seems to me, abit like, if it aint happening on my doorstep, then it aint a bad thing.
And it might be OK, for them to put another 400 people on the ladder, with mile long shops, 2 mins away.
But in that part of white heart lane, there is NOTHING!
There is one bus stop (W3)......which is usually packed in the morning, along with the bus. So you most likely, have to wait for another one.
And then they want to have lets say, another 150-200 people using it.
And what are they doing to make allowances for this extra number of people?
To replace the non existent bus shelter. :O
Thats just the tip of the iceburg tho. There other ideas are just as outrageous.
Research and get involved!
Walk away and you will be next and then there be no one left to defend you.
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
