Attendees (and the organisations they are members of):

Quentin Given – Haringey Friends of the Earth
Dave Morris – Our Tottenham Coordination Group, Friends of Lordship Rec, Haringey Community Centres Network
Michele de Broglio – Gardens Residents Association
Michael Edwards – Just Space (Londonwide Planning Network including London Tenants Federation)
Steve Jones – Haringey Community Action Network
Martin Ball – Tottenham resident who spoke at examination of previous Local Plan, Our Tottenham Coordination Group
Dayal Strub – Friends of Tower Gardens Park, Tower Gardens Residents Group
Ben Jones – Member of Your Party, Haringey Cycling Campaign, Haringey Green Party and Haringey Ladder resident
Carmel Cadden – Haringey Community Spaces Campaign, Haringey Right to Food Campaign, and Haringey Community Food Network.
Anne Gray – Haringey over 50s
Stephanie Grant – Unite The Community, Haringey Socialist Alliance
Chris Setz – Broadwater Farm resident, was involved in StART at St Anns Hospital site.
Pamela Harling – Haringey Green Party, Sustainable Haringey
Annie – Your Party
Alison – Anti-HDV Campaign, Northumberland Park Community Cook Up
Paul Burnham – Haringey Defend Council Housing
Mike – Haringey Unite The Community, Haringey Green Party
Diya – Student at University College London
Bahlul – Selby Trust
Herman Irish – concerned about Development in Tottenham
Nick Putz – Concerned about Development and Housing etc

Introduction: 

Quentin provided an Introduction to the Draft Local Plan (LP), it’s purpose in identifying Site Allocation across the Borough i.e sites suitable for development/re-development, Land use and scale of potential development, along with limits regarding building heights,  provision of green space etc.

The Council has limited powers since it does not redevelop the land itself, other than for Council-owned buildings or Council Housing. The Local Plan is a tool used by the Council for regulating planning permissions in the Borough, with housing targets being set by Central Government and the London Mayor (As set out in the London Plan). 

The Plan does not cover all council policies, so for example the transport chapter only covers transport issues in new developments, it is not a wider transport strategy.  Chapters of the Local Plan. include Sustainable Transport, Climate Resilience and the Natural Environment, Spatial Strategy and Housing, Design and Heritage, Culture and Social Infrastructure, Inclusive Places.

Green and blue infrastructure is identified in the LP, including watercourses. 

The suggested timescale for the developments varies by site some are beyond 2030 and some not until after 2040.

The public are being ‘consulted’ and are urged to respond by the deadline of 19th December.

To be Noted: 

• No map yet included of new Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
• There are Sites identified that have contradictory designations eg Pinkham Way is recognised as important for nature but still also designated for waste processing. 
• The fact that a site isn’t listed or identified in the plan does not protect it from planning applications for development
• There is a policy on Trees for the first time, which aims to protect trees from eg ‘subsidance’ claims.
• The Policy and Urban Greening plan includes a Biodiversity Net Gain. This could be useful for making funding applications for green sites, allotments, and food growing in developments that are covered by the Local Plan.
• The LP does embody action on Climate Change – how to tackle this and make the Borough more resilient, with new proposals expected on building resilience. and impacting on Energy Efficiency Standards.

Latest List of Consultation events and Webinars and Recordings available so far of those that have taken place:

Have Your Say Today – Community Engagement Events – Haringey Draft Local Plan

https://haringeynewlocalplan.commonplace.is/proposals/v3/virtual-engagement-events

Previous Local Plans and successful Community responses and campaigns: 

The last Local Plan in 2017 had many shortcomings and lobbying by communities had some successes, e.g the threat to build on a third of Lordship Rec and the demolition of Broadwater Farm – after hundreds of objections and much lobbying the Inspector ruled that the Council had to scrap its plans and instead work with the Community. After much campaigning a similar judgment was made in relation to the Selby Site, and also led to the protection of the adjacent Bull Lane Playing Fields (which campaigners had been fighting to protect for 40 years). Residents near Pinkham Way in the west also led a successful campaign. And the biggest success was the Campaign against the HDV (Haringey Development Vehicle involving a plan to transfer of £2 billion of Haringey’s public assets and land into the management of notorious hedge-fund Lendlease) – this was not mentioned in the 2017 Local Plan, but planned by the then leading Cabinet Members who were defeated by a mass campaign of protests by Haringey residents coming together, a legal challenge, and Labour Party members deselecting their own leading Haringey Councillors.

Key Issues Identified in this meeting: 

• The Failure to hold a consultation meeting for Tottenham as a whole, whilst Consultations have taken place in Hornsey and Wood Green yet the majority of the proposed Site Allocations are in Tottenham. 
• The lack of an Infrastructure Plan, that won’t be available until this stage of Consultation on the LP has closed, but could have ramifications for elements of The Proposals in the Daft LP.
• Housing: The Council has a Housing Needs Assessment  (SHMA) which should guide all housing built. It states that the proportion of affordable housing needed in the Borough as 60% overall, whereas the Draft Local Plan aims for only 40% and the actual amount built is a shocking 23.5%. It also states that 86% of “affordable” homes should be Social Housing because residents in need of housing can’t afford “Affordable”.
• Rent Levels – Social v Affordable – 96% of applicants of social housing and social tenants can’t afford “Affordable ” housing!
• Bedroom Size Mix: developers favour building 2 bed, 1bed and micro apartments , whereas the Housing Needs Survey states that the following are needed: 36% 3 bed, 23% 4 bed and social Housing.
• Quality of new homes: Lack of natural light, too close together, many single aspect whereas all new homes should be double aspect, , kitchens without natural light. Should be 70′ separation between buildings as used up until 2014.
• Noise, dust, vibration from construction – no conditions in this Local plan (or the London Plan?)
• Providers are/are not being encouraged to refurbish existing homes instead of demolitions.
• Planning Applications are fast tracked if most new homes are Council acquisitions.
• At the recent webinar about the Local Plan, Timothy Soloman, the Council Officer who organised it stated that Genuinely affordable homes are the real focus of the Council Plan, but he couldn’t provide a definition of this , but said he would come back about that. Usually ‘Affordable’ Prices are what the London and Local Plans refer to.  And ‘Affordable’ is a proportion of Market rent in the area. A definition is needed for Haringey.
• Council rents for new tenancies and new builds are £88 pwk or 60% higher than the weekly rents charged for existing stock.

Site Allocations of Concern and Potential Demolition identified by those present

Please note that these were just some of the concerns identified and raised at the meeting. Many may be ‘fanciful’, but even if not implemented will cause neglect and anxiety. Apologies for any omissions or inaccuracies – please check for yourself!

• The Green Space and car park in front of Marcus Garvey Library and the Tottenham Leisure Centre is included as potential site for redevelopment.
• Ashley Rd and Tottenham Hale Station is identified as having a 10 storey block on top of the station.
• Estate demolition: High Road West and Love Lane council estate are identified for demolition. 
• Northumberland Park included for potential demolition.
• Willoughby Lane extended towards Enfield is one of the largest sites due for potential redevelopment, which is three times the size of the High Rd West site.
• The area north of High Road West and the Peacock Industrial Estate also earmarked for potential demolition/development despite strong campaigning by the family businesses at the site
• The Plan recognises the need to protect the Bruce Grove Cloud Garden, the area behind the site of Luke Howard House 8-10 Bruce Grove with sizeable green space. It was noted that as result of Council planning failure some has already been given planning permission for some housing though nothing has happened on the site for years.
• Tiverton Primary School site to be developed for housing – Council, social or private?
• Ferry Lane Estate is recognised as not suitable for further development (which is good and reflects residents lobbying) and The Paddock should now be designated a Local Nature Reserve
• Industrial and Light industrial space to be used for Housing?
• Green Lanes – Arena district and St Ann’s Development: large sites subject to 2 separate proposals, includes potential redevelopment of Harringay Green Lanes Station and each proposal mentioning that access between St Ann’s and the Arena site is to be provided though the Community Garden off Stanhope Gardens. This threatens a multi award winning garden, a hub of the local community used by residents from the surrounding areas, residents in the Gardens, the GRA (Gardens Residents Association) and has links with Friends of Chestnuts, Friends of Railway Fields and local schools and other community groups. Also awarded a small Community Carbon Fund Grant by the Council to raise awareness of reducing carbon footprints of the GRA and residents, contributing to the Council’s Net zero and nature strategy. The Garden must have maximum protection. Other concerns about the proposed development relate to the heights of new blocks, and the threat to Trees in the Sainsbury’s car park. 
• Warehouse district in Hermitage and Gardens (and other areas) – has been the subject of along running campaign by residents, to retain a cultural and live work quarter. This needs recognition.
• 100 Tower Gardens Rd – Community building which the local residents association is campaigning to bring back into public use.
• The Council has a Disposals List that was approved at the Full Council meeting in June 2025, with redacted content. This needs to be made public so people can object and campaign to save buildings.
• Mounting usage pressures on existing green spaces and parks due to large scale development, with thousands of extra residents having access to the same existing parks, and no new parks being created – having an adverse impact on health of inhabitants, particularly those in flats without gardens. One example is the development surrounding Green Lanes, Hermitage and Gardens, and the New River with huge ongoing development at Woodberry Down just down the road, large developments on the other side of Finsbury Park in Islington, The new St Ann’s development creating a new Village, and proposed development of Arena and warehouse sites. How does this fit with Net Zero, Parks and Green Spaces, and Health & Wellbeing Policies?

Next Steps

• All encouraged to attend relevant Council webinars and consultations – the coming week includes webinars on Wood Green and Green Lanes, and Spatial Strategy and Housing and catch up with recorded webinars.
• Take time to read relevant policy documents, including the Site Allocations identified area by area around the borough.
• Should people organise an in person public meeting in Tottenham with all groups represented? Is there time before deadline of 19th December?
• Demand that the Council organise a Tottenham-wide consultation meeting.

Next Meeting Tuesday 25th November at 7pm on Zoom to focus on co-ordinated response / action