Update on Conversion of Flats to Houses on the Ladder

Following site member Dominic Rogers' recent question and my post on the conversion issue last week, the picture of the situation on this issue has come into sharp focus for me.

In summary it is, or should be, something of a scandal. In essence the situtaion is that no conversions are permitted on the ladder by law. BUT, if a conversion is carried out without permission and remains unchallenged for at least 4 years then the owner can apply for a "certificate of lawfulness" - and in effect get retrospective planning permission waived through.

In the last quarter such restrospective planning permission has been granted for at least three properties. You might think that would be extrapolated to something like 120 over the last decade. But the situtaion seems far more serious. Patrick Sullivan of Haringey's Planning Enforcement Department told me last week, "This is a mammoth task. At the moment there are 173 open investigations involving conversions and HMO’s (Houses in Multiple Occupation) on the Haringey Ladder." Does it matter? I guess that depends on your perspective. On the one hand, it does provide more housing at the more affordable end of the scale. On the other, it increases population density and makes things like parking more difficult. It may also negatively impact on property prices.

If you decide that it's a bad thing from your perspective, what can you do about it?

First be clear on the law. Haringey's Planning Department have provided links to two official docments which spell out the legal situation on conversions on the Harringay Ladder.

You can access the documents at:

Haringey Unitary Development Plan (UDP), Housing Chapter

Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) Residential Standards

Secondly, keep your eyes open and when you become aware of any building work nearby that may be a conversion, check this site or the Council's website to see whether planning permission has been granted. If it hasn't, your best course of action is to contact the LCSP (Ladder Community Safety Partnership - a kind of umbrella residents' organisation for the ladder) who have joined this site under the member name of LCSP. They have been active in monitoring this issue for the past few years.

Haringey Planning Enforcement Officer Sullivan said, "It is imperative that information about any breaches be passed to the Local Authority in a timely manner so that we can take enforcement action which generally involves issuing an enforcement notice which not only compels the owner to rectify the breach but also “stops the clock” on the 4-year rule meaning that regardless of how long the prosecution process takes the breach must be removed. If the enforcement notice was not complied with the council would take legal action via the magistrates court to bring about compliance."

"We maintain a close relationship with the Ladder Community Safety Partnership. With their help, primarily, we are able to locate, investigate and prosecute any breaches of planning permission as quickly as possible."

If you're interested to find out more on this contact LCSP via their member page on this site. See their forum posting about their regular meetings.