Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Art Deco Hotel for Central Crouch End Town Hall Crowds out Affordable Housing
Haringey Council look set to approve plans that will finally see a long term settlement made for the future of the now iconic 1930s Hornsey Town Hall Building in the very heart of Crouch End. The question remains of how many compromises have been made and how many are yet to come in the Council's efforts to finally get the building off their hands.
The future that the Council have in mind for the much-loved ex-town hall would combine community space, a boutique hotel, cafe/restaurants and new homes. The precise details of the plan are yet to be released, but some details are emerging.
The community based activities will probably be mostly be concentrated in, but not limited to, 'the more historically significant parts of the building', including the assembly hall, committee room and council chamber.
Apparently the hotel will be mainly in the east and west wings of the building but it will not be excluded from the more attractive parts of the building. A Council statement says:
The scheme intends to use the existing planning consent, however it will require some amendments for any parts of the listed buildings which now have a different use e.g. the hotel.
The Council has sought to reassure residents on the future of the town hall square. They say that although it is included as part of the lease, the developer will apparently "recognise that community use of both the outdoor and indoor spaces is integral to the success of the town hall".
The 'cafe/restaurants' would be on the ground floor, though exactly which part is not yet clear. Wherever they are located, it seems unlikely that they will offer the same community flavour of the current occupants, who it seems will be ushered out of the back door once work begins:
All of those currently hiring space are on short term hire agreements, and we will work with occupiers and advise on whether there are other local Council owned premises they can operate from.
The new homes would apparently be mostly concentrated on the land at the rear of the Town Hall. However, the requirement for affordable housing that is supposed to be a key part of any significant development in the borough has once again been all but waived. The Council said:
Hornsey Town Hall has been recognised as a challenging project because the responsibility of carrying out the necessary extensive works to improve a dilapidated Grade II* listed building and finding a financially sustainable long term operation for the building has significant cost implications. This is a unique project in which the restoration of the art deco listed building, and our guarantee of community access have been prioritised.
This means that the developer will include just four affordable units. The Council say that "any increase in the amount of affordable housing within the scheme will impact on the viability of the project." The financial calculations that underpin this position have been outlined in the top secret 'viability assessment' common to all developments and which the public are never allowed to see.
This isn't the first time Haringey Council have played fast and loose with their stated priorities. Two years ago in a searing article in The Guardian, Oliver Wainwright wrote:
Across the country – and especially in superheated London, where stratospheric land values beget accordingly bloated developments – authorities are allowing planning policies to be continually flouted, affordable housing quotas to be waived, height limits breached, the interests of residents endlessly trampled. Places are becoming ever meaner and more divided, as public assets are relentlessly sold off.
Haringey awaits the momentous arrival of Tottenham Hotspur’s new £400m football stadium. This bulbous mothership was promised to bring 200 new homes, half of which would be “affordable”, and an abundance of public benefits to the area. But, once again, the affordable component has been mysteriously waived, replaced with 285 flats for solely private sale, while the Section 106 contribution has been reduced from an agreed £16m to just £477,000 – a token contribution towards transport improvements.
Haringey Council’s cabinet will decide later this month whether their favoured developer, a consortium led by Far East Consortium International will be confirmed as the preferred bidder for the Town Hall project.
If approval is given, the Far East Consortium will start working up more detailed plans for the building and work could start on site as early as autumn 2017.
It remains to be seen how many more compromises Haringey Council will be prepared to make to wash its hands of the too-difficult-to-deal-with-town-hall as they dance along the yellow brick road hand-in-hand with the developer to the place where the great wizard will grant full planning permission.
Tags for Forum Posts: hornsey town hall
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matthew cuthbert on
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Is Section 106 now CIL (the Community Infrastructure Levy?)
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Useful little guide to what CIL and Section 106 are below.
CIL is based on the increase in land value due to development and can be used more or less anywhere the planning authority deems fit. S106 is directly connected with the actual development and is often used to deal with the impact of the development (as a contribution towards education provision or building affordable housing for example)
That said, the whole planning gain system is rather a mess and its original purpose has disappeared in many instances.
http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/429014/cil_faqs_ssdc__3_.pdf
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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In Haringey Michael, I think 20% of the CIL has to be used within the immediate area where the development is sited.
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The real problem with CIL is that it encourages certain types of development. As it's based on the increase in value of the land after development, high end, high value developments produce the best return. A block of 100 "luxury" flats increases land value (and the amount of CIL) far more than an affordable housing development or a health centre. If a planning authority is short of money (as all London councils are) favouring high end development is just too tempting.
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Interesting. I hadn't realised that. As you say it's almost designed to encourage the most rampant of developments.
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3 million from Fairview, for Hampden Road it's a gravy train, we won't see much of it in Harringay, but I'm sure Labour Party support in Harringay would like to see it materialise in our community, as we all would.
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Google the 123 list of approved community projects. Where is the Community Infrastructure Levy Money going, and what is the 123 list of approved community projects? I could find it easily for Camden & Hackney, and other councils, but not Haringey, just a draft list within the minutes from a council meeting. Good luck...
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Permalink Reply by Chris Setz on
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As Micheal helpfully notes (above) this confirms what LBH told me: that the HTH CIL couldn't be spent on the 100% public-owned HTH.
They said it could only be spent on "strategic infrastructure projects" - what if there are none nearby? If Harringay gets it, no need to thank Crouch End formally
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But the preferred developer is wading in funds you couldn't imagine. Not the best deal for Crouch End, are there any serious business negotiators for this project that don't just fold.
https://www.amtd.com.hk/en/pr_2016_09_04
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Go Civic Hall
http://www.civichallsite.org/learn_more
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Permalink Reply by Dave Downes on
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HORNSEY TOWN HALL BELONGS TO THE COMMUNITY,
NOT HARINGEY COUNCIL!Haringey Council is to sell off Hornsey Town Hall to Far East property developers for luxury accommodation and a luxury 'boutique' hotel (whatever the fuck that is) - no affordable housing. Once again, our local authority serves the interests of the rich and our very own landlord-loving housing official and 'Red Tory' Alan Strickland, does nothing for local people during a housing crisis. This is their propaganda...
'The future of Hornsey Town Hall, Crouch End's iconic Grade II* listed building looks set to be secured for future generations under new proposals outlined today. In October Haringey Council’s cabinet will decide whether a consortium led by Far East Consortium International Ltd (FEC) with its subsidiary Dorsett Hospitality and CoPlan Estates Ltd, should be the preferred bidder to invest millions of pounds to restore the historic, art deco building.
Alan Strickland, Haringey’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning said: "Hornsey Town Hall plays a very special role in the heart of Crouch End's community and we are committed to securing its future for generations to come. We have worked with the Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust to assess community aspects of the bids from developers to get the best deal for local residents. The preferred bidder being recommended to cabinet includes clear commitments to using some of the important historical parts of the Town Hall, including the Assembly Hall, for community use.”
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