New council homes approved for Highgate car wash site despite flooding concerns

Ward councillor claims there are “many issues” with the “complex location” but committee votes unanimously to approve the scheme, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The plans for new homes (top, credit MEPK Architects) and the existing car wash (bottom, credit Google)

Plans for 16 new council homes on the site of a car wash in Highgate have been approved despite concerns raised around the area’s flood risk and pedestrian access.

Two of the 16 homes will be semi-detached two-storey houses, while the remaining 14 homes will be flats, built in a four-storey block.

But Highgate councillor Scott Emery, a Liberal Democrat, opposed the proposal bounded by Archway Road and Bakers Lane, stating there were “many issues” with the “complex location”.

Addressing the planning committee yesterday (Thursday 6th) he said the site was “plagued” with traffic accidents and there were “drainage limitations” in the surrounding area.

There is only one ‘uncontrolled crossing’ to the site so the council has proposed adding a new zebra crossing on Archway Road to improve safety and access as well as a layby in Bakers Lane.

But Cllr Emery said the transport assessment lacked a “comprehensive safety review” of this part of the plan.

Highlighting the change to traffic flow if approved, he said: “Do you think a wheelchair user will find it easy to cross this road with thousands of cars using it every hour?

“If you had a young child coming home from school would you trust them using those crossings? A road that directly connects to the A1.”

The area is assessed as flood zone one, which indicates the lowest probability of flooding.

Cllr Emery said he had “no idea” why the area was categorised as zone one as floods had occurred on the north side of the development “since I’ve been a councillor” and Bakers Lane had flooded in the “last few weeks”.

In response, Jack Goulde, the council’s interim head of development, said the site currently has “considerable hard standing” and the plan included “soft landscape” and “underground attenuation tanks” as part of an “engineering solution”.

He said being a car wash meant there was a “considerable volume of water” that “cascades across the hardstanding” and if Thames Water “did not maintain their drains” the area “could pond”.

Addressing the access concerns, Maurice Richards, the council’s principal transport planner, said removing the car wash would reduce “tailback” and “turning movements”.

He said: “We’re talking about removing this additional traffic and increasing pedestrian traffic and we are proposing to provide the necessary infrastructure which is going to be subject to a detailed design and safety assessment.”

Maurice added it wasn’t “uncommon” to see this level of accident rates.

Following a 90-minute debate the committee voted to unanimously approve the plan. Cllr Emery, although a committee member, did not vote as he gave a representation as a ward member.

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