GSOH: Haringey's planning department

ONE has to admire the chutzpah, or at least the sense of humour, of Haringey Planners.

A couple of weeks ago, several Councillors on the planning committee expressed concern about the Officers' recommended big depot proposal blotting out the view from Hornsey High Street of Alexandra Palace.

Planners described the view as "accidental".

The Decision was deferred for 14 days, during which time, despite councillors' misgivings, there were no changes. Last night, in the re-run of their slide show, planners did add some new information:

There were a couple of new slides in order to give a better view of the "big picture". They were photos of the site ... taken from Alexandra Palace.

Not only did this muddy the concerns about the view, it had the added merit of showing how tiny the development was ... from the highest or second-highest elevation in London. The photos were taken with a standard or wide-angle lens. Both the New River Village and the Hornsey Depot did indeed look modest from that remote vantage point. Every building within a huge radius was well below the skyline. (Sainsbury's proposed car park looks miniscule from the International Space Station).

The impact on near-neighbours from the development – that includes an eight-story building – may be different.

(Despite the abstentions of two Labour Councillors, the committee was packed with enough Labour Councillors – including the Chairman's casting vote – to ensure that the Planning Department's recommended scheme was approved).