Broadwater Farm regeneration plan gets go-ahead

Plans to regenerate part of a Tottenham housing estate and provide nearly 300 new social homes have been approved – after Haringey Council agreed to relocate a listed artwork.

The redevelopment of an area within Broadwater Farm Estate – drawn up after two blocks were deemed unsafe – was approved by Haringey Council’s planning subcommittee last night (Monday).

The scheme will involve demolishing the now-vacant Tangmere and Northolt blocks, which were found to be unsafe following structural inspections carried out after the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017. In addition, the Stapleford North block, an enterprise centre, medical centre and energy centre will be knocked down.

In their place, 294 new council-rent homes will be built – providing a net gain of 52 homes on the estate – along with a new wellbeing hub, a replacement enterprise centre and a shop.

The regeneration plan was backed by 85% of residents who voted in a ballot, although only 55% of those who were eligible to vote took part. The development was subsequently delayed after a mural on the Tangmere block, created to promote reconciliation in the aftermath of the 1985 estate riot, was given protected status by the government. The council plans to remove and restore the mural before installing it in a new location on the estate.

There was only one objection to the redevelopment plans, from Broadwater Farm Residents’ Association. Speaking during the meeting, Jacob Secker, secretary of the residents’ association, said demolishing the health centre went against council policies since the new wellbeing hub would be considerably smaller than the existing facility.

Jacob added that the development would only provide 35% three and four-bedroom homes, which he said was a “huge drop” from a 55% target in the council’s housing strategy. He also claimed the council had not been up-front during the ballot process about plans to introduce a controlled parking zone (CPZ) on the estate, adding that a previous CPZ had been withdrawn following a petition against the scheme by residents.

Responding to the concerns, Robbie McNaugher, the council’s head of development management, said the council policies were about capacity to deliver services rather than floorspace, and there had been a “clear steer” from the NHS that the new centre would be “acceptable for meeting local needs for healthcare provision”.

Robbie added that the scheme would “significantly increase” the number of family units, which were designed to meet residents’ needs and address overcrowding on the estate. Planning officer Chris Smith pointed out that the redevelopment would see four-bedroom homes increase from 1% (three units) to 15% (44 units), which he said would more than make up for the loss of one three-bedroom unit.

Maureen Duncan, headteacher at The Brook School, spoke in favour of the plans on behalf of both The Brook and Willow School and said all were “totally supportive of the scheme”, which would be “of immense significance to the estate”.

Maureen added: “It is no secret that there are many families presently living in overcrowded conditions on the estate. The 294 new homes proposed, and a significant proportion of these having three or four bedrooms – I believe the scheme will resolve that issue.

“There can be no doubt that another positive outcome of the regeneration will be that residents will feel much safer, and that pavements and streets will be opened up, and there will be more play and leisure space, which will give young people a sense of belonging.”

Responding to committee members’ questions about measures to prevent mould, Abigail Batchelor, associate director at Karakusevic Carson Architects, assured councillors the units would be fitted with extractors and be dual-aspect to provide cross-ventilation.

Addressing concerns over the CPZ, David Sherrington, the council’s programme director for the Broadwater Farm scheme, suggested there had been “confusion around language”. He explained that on the housing land it would be called a TMO (traffic management order), but the council had “used the language of ‘introducing parking controls’” during the consultation.

He added: “Under the housing TMO, that would include a free parking permit for every resident, and every permit thereafter comes with a cost.”

Committee members also raised concerns over fire safety, with John Bevan pointing out that other countries have a requirement for two means of exit from tall buildings. Rob Krzyszowski, the council’s assistant director of planning, building standards and sustainability, said there was “not a requirement” to have two staircases and added: “The requirement is to have detailed building fire safety engineering analysis, and this is subject to lots of extra checks and balances now.”

The applications for the redevelopment project and the relocation of the mural were unanimously approved by the committee.