Redevelopment of Hornsey Police Station approved by councillors

Vote in favour of scheme came despite criticism of its design and affordable housing provision, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

A computer-generated image of the proposed Hornsey Police Station redevelopment (credit Tallbox)

Plans to redevelop a former police station have been approved despite concerns over the “alien” design of new buildings.

Koukan Developments has won permission to convert Hornsey Police Station into housing and build two new blocks at the site to provide a total of 29 homes.

Built in 1884, the police station in Tottenham Lane originally formed part of a complex of civic buildings including a fire station and library. It was closed in March 2021 under City Hall’s plans to save £8million per year to reinvest in frontline policing.

Under the approved plans, the police station will be refurbished and extended to provide six terraced houses and four flats. A new four-storey block to the north, in Tottenham Lane, will provide four houses and seven flats, while a new three-storey block at the corner of Harold Road and Glebe Road to the west will provide eight flats available at London Affordable Rent levels.

The proposals, which were presented to a meeting of Haringey Council’s planning committee on Tuesday (18th), drew 71 objections from the public and four letters of support. Some opponents claimed the design of the new flats would be out of character with the Edwardian buildings in Hillfield Conservation Area, where the police station is located.

Speaking during the committee meeting, Labour councillor Cathy Brennan said the proposed block fronting Tottenham Lane looked “alien” and “out of context”, and she did not understand why more had not been done to make it fit in with its surroundings.

Another committee member, Labour’s Sue Jameson, said the affordable housing block at the corner of Harold Road and Glebe Road looked “minimalist” and “plain”, and seemed like a “poor relation”.

Responding to the concerns, Richard Truscott, the council’s urban design officer, said the Tottenham Lane block had a “good design” that was modern but referenced the surrounding Edwardian buildings, adding that it would “hugely contribute to the quality of the location”.

Chris Boyle, from architects Archanaeum, which is also acting as planning consultant for the project, said the block was “very much a product of the local context, and especially the historical context of the site, but more of a contemporary reinterpretation of that rather than a pastiche of that”.

He said the design of the affordable housing block had “taken a very strong influence from the police station” without just copying it, adding that “there is a big difference between something being minimalist [in design] and something being simple”.

Committee members also raised concerns that the affordable housing provision – 28% by unit – was below the 50% target. Following a financial viability assessment, officers concluded this was “the maximum reasonable amount” that could be provided.

Responding to the concerns, Robbie McNaugher, the council’s head of development management, said the authority had prioritised low-cost rental units because there was a shortage of affordable homes in that part of the borough.

He explained that the site could probably provide a higher percentage of a different affordable housing tenure, but that London Affordable Rent was “the best affordable housing offer”.

Following the debate, nine councillors voted to approve the plans and two abstained.

We know times are hard

If you are struggling to make ends meet, we are keeping Haringey Community Press free because of you. We know that many people cannot afford to pay for local news, so this website and our print paper will always be free. If you can afford to, and value what we do, a small monthly or one-off contribution can support us to keep providing quality journalism for Haringey to our community for free.

Monthly direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month.