Hale Wharf, a major redevelopment of more than 500 homes, goes to Haringey planning committee tonight, with a recommendation from planning officers to grant consent. The controversial scheme, which abuts green belt land to the east, include 21-storey towers.
The scheme will provide 30% affordable housing, a substantial private rental element, and more than £1m in CIL revenue.
More than 160 objections have been made against the application, most notably from Joanne McCartney, the Greater London Authority member for Enfield and Haringey. She is also Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor.
A stone’s throw from Hale Wharf, another scheme, Hale Village, includes a 28- to 30-storey tower to be developed by Anthology. However, this tower is very much in favour with both the local authority and the GLA, which both want a tall building to create a landmark for the area. The scheme is even expected to benefit from Housing Zone funding, via the GLA.
It would seem rather contradictory for a scheme just a couple of hundred yards up the road and including a tower nine storeys shorter to be dismissed for being too tall.
In a letter submitted to the Hale Wharf application, McCartney writes: “While accepting that this site can provide additional much-needed housing, the proposed development is not in keeping with the local area, is poorly designed and is far too tall.”
She adds: “At 21 storeys, this development is much too high and out of keeping with the local area which comprises mainly low and mid‐rise buildings. It would overshadow and impact the privacy of the Hale Village opposite and detract from the openness of the area. In addition, this proposed development is in breach of the Tottenham Area Action Plan, which states that tall buildings should be located at public transport nodes and then scaled down.”
The complaints have fallen on deaf ears in Haringey’s planning department, which recommends a grant of planning consent.
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