Haringey Council hopes to 'unlock delivery' of much-delayed Love Lane Estate redevelopment

Cabinet members set to agree contract for demolition of first block and construction of 61 new council homes in its place, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Love Lane Estate and (inset) the approved plans for High Road West

A breakthrough could be made at a “currently stalled” housing scheme in Tottenham, with a major redevelopment contract set to be awarded by Haringey Council.

Next Tuesday (14th) cabinet members at the local authority are set to formally agree a deal for the demolition and construction of council homes on the Love Lane Estate as part of its troubled ‘High Road West’ scheme.

This will involve the award of a new contract to demolish Whitehall Lodge and build 61 council homes on the site as part of ‘Phase 1A’ of the scheme.

These will be built as a mixture of 20 one-bed flats, 19 three-bed flats and eight maisonettes ranging from three to four bedrooms in size.

The contract also includes the demolition of a tower block at 2-32 Whitehall Street, set to be replaced with new homes in the next phase of the project, dubbed ‘Phase 1B’. These will be built by Lendlease, an Australian multinational construction and real estate company.

The redevelopment of Love Lane Estate has been planned for several years, with residents backing the scheme in a ballot in 2021 and the High Road West plans for 2,929 homes subsequently winning approval in 2022, despite opposition from Tottenham Hotspur.

But a council report prepared ahead of next week’s meeting admits that the project “is currently stalled, due to difficult market conditions which have impacted the viability of the scheme”.

The local authority hopes the new contract will help make the scheme viable for Lendlease and “unlock delivery” of new council homes at the site.

The report says the demolition of the tower block at 2-32 Whitehall Street will also “prevent antisocial behaviour issues in this location resulting from the presence of an empty block, which have a significant impact on the quality of environment for residents in the area”.

Once vacant, the report says the council will work with the local community to consider how the 2-32 Whitehall Street site could be used as a “temporary open space”. This would be until at least 2028 – the earliest “anticipated date” redevelopment could begin.

The value of the contract for these works is currently exempt from public view. Who, exactly, the contract will be going to has also been kept in documents currently exempt from the public.

The plans would also give councillor Tammy Hymas, co-deputy leader and cabinet member for housing, the power to approve spending up to the full potential value of the agreed construction and consultancy contracts, subject to an approvals process.

The council’s cabinet is also expected to approve the Love Lane Estate Management Plan with a total budget of £1.1million.

In its report the local authority says the moves are “part of a long-term plan for the Love Lane Estate”.

This, they argue, will see derelict blocks taken down to be replaced with “warm, safe and comfortable” homes.

The council says it will be “guaranteeing a right to return for Love Lane residents” meaning that current tenants will have first option on new homes as they are built.

Green Party councillors took minority control of the local authority following the local elections on 7th May.

In the report they argue: “As a new administration, we are committed to delivering council homes at council rents – not only because Haringey residents desperately need affordable housing – but because this is the best way to deliver progress after years of delays on the Love Lane Estate.”

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