Creating a studio in the newly excavated basement of 41 Umfreville Road

Hi all,

I am not an expert in planning matters, but I have found the following from Haringey's own website, which would show that (a) no planning permission can be granted for an extension (in this case into the basement) for the purpose of creating a new flat; and (b) Harringay Ladder is a restricted conversion area, which presumably means that generally no permission will be given for new conversions.

The Council itself states that the reasons for making the Ladder a restricted area are (a) increase pressure on parking and traffic. We already endure all the traffic related to Green Lances shopping area, and the traffic that uses our road as a shortcut between Green Lanes and Wightman Road. (b) loss of family homes. Presumably, if the basement has been excavated it should be used to make the ground floor flat bigger and provide a flat for a small family, rather than provide two small properties which would not be suitable for families; (c) increased pressure on services (such as transport). (d) I would add to that additional short term tenants, with the prospect of more people moving in and out the apartments, removals, tenants not regarding the units as their permanent home and thus not caring for the community, streets, gardens, etc (e) filling the front garden with wheelie bins, rather than plants. The house already seem to have two other flats. A third flat would mean 3 general waste bins plus 3 recycling bins, i.e. 6 bins for a small front garden.

http://www.haringey.gov.uk/spg_3a_-_density_dwelling_mix_floorspace...

Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG)

Residential Standards

SPG 3a Density, Dwelling Mix, Floorspace

Minima, Conversions, Extensions and

Lifetime Homes (Adopted 2006)

 Table 3: Dwelling Mix for Conversions

Net Internal Area of Number of Flat Types

the Property

Expected Optional

120m² - 129m² 1 unit of at least 3

habitable rooms (i.e. two

bedroom 3/4 person flat)

130m² - 149m² 1 unit of at least 3

habitable rooms for 4

persons (i.e. two

bedroom 4 person flat)

and one or more units of at least 2 habitable

rooms (i.e. one bedroom 2 person flat)

 5. CONVERSIONS

A. Minimum size of property suitable for conversion

A.1. Policy HSG1 recommends that the minimum that the minimum size of

properties suitable for conversion must have an existing floor area of

120m2 (1291ft2) or more and must have 5 habitable rooms or more.

A.2. To measure internal floor area, exclude outside walls but include inside

walls, partitions, cupboards and chimney breasts and take into account

only floorspace with an existing headroom of 2.3m (7.5ft) minimum.

 B. Restricted Conversion Areas

B.1. The Council has identified the following areas as being subject to

extreme parking pressure and a reduction in the number of family

houses. (see attached maps)

• • The Miltons: area to north east side of Archway Road
• • Archway Road: area to the south west side of Archway Road.
• • Harringay Ladder: Green Lanes to Wightman Road.
• • Stroud Green: area bounded by Stroud Green Road, Stapleton Hall

Road, Florence Road and Woodstock Road.

• • Muswell Hill: roads near centre.
• • Bruce Grove Ward
• • Crouch End: roads near centre
• • West Green Road
• • Myddleton Road

 Extensions

C.1. The conversion of properties into self-contained flats should ideally be

carried out within the existing building without the need for any

extensions.

C.2. In the following cases extensions to properties are unlikely to be

granted:

• • Where a whole new flat /s or habitable room/s will be created
• • Simultaneous extensions to the roofspace and basement
• • Rear extensions where the garden will be reduced to 75m2 for

shared gardens or 50m2 where one flat has sole use

• • Where a property has 5 or fewer habitable rooms or has a floor area

less than 120m2

• • If the extension is above ground floor level
• • Where the extension would result in a loss of light or outlook to

adjoining properties.

C.3. Extensions are generally only acceptable where they are designed to

improve otherwise sub-standard facilities of an existing flat, such as to

enable a separate bathroom to be provided or to make the kitchen

bigger, provided that it does not harm the neighbours amenity. (See

also the “Context” section of SPG 1a: Design Guidance and also SPG

3b: Privacy/Overlooking, Aspect/Outlook and Daylight/Sunlight).

http://www.haringey.gov.uk/housing-3.pdf

HSG11: RESTRICTED CONVERSION AREAS

Permission will not be granted for conversions in the following

areas:

a) The Miltons: Area to North East side of Archway Road;

b) Archway Road: Area to the South West Side of Archway

Road;

c) Harringay Ladder: Green Lanes to Wightman Road;

d) Stroud Green: Area bounded by Stroud Green Road,

Stapleton Hall Road, Florence Road and Woodstock Road;

e) Muswell Hill: Roads near centre

f) Bruce Grove Ward

g) Myddleton Road, Wood Green

h) West Green Road

i) Crouch End: Roads near centre or

j) streets where conversions and/or HMO already equal 20%

of the properties (see policy HSG6).

4.40 There are areas in the borough where over the years many

properties have been converted from single dwellings into a large

number of flats. Where many conversions happen in one area it can

result in problems such as a significant increase in on street parking

and a loss of family housing.

4.41 It is considered that in the areas mentioned above the majority of

properties have been converted into flats and are now experiencing

problems of extreme parking pressure and a significant adverse

effect on residential amenity. Any additional increase in on street

parking would be detrimental to the effective operation of bus

services. Therefore conversions will usually be resisted in these

areas as they have already reached their capacity for conversions.

The restricted conversion areas are identified in SPG3a Density,

Dwelling Mix, Floorspace Minima, Conversions, Extensions and Dwelling Mix, Floorspace Minima, Conversions, Extensions and

Lifetime Homes.