Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Harringay's nearest green-belt land tipped as site for vast new Hollywood studio
This morning an announcement was made that Blackstone Studios are hoping to build a vast 91-acre TV and film studio complex on a greefield site, near the M25 juction north of Enfield.
The new development comes as part of Hertfordshire's fast-developing film production/studio scene, and hot on the of the Sky Studios Elstree development currently under construction and the proposed Hertsmere studios nearby.
Not far away in Leavesden is Warner Brothers Studios, where the third film in the Fantastic Beasts Harry Potter spin-off is currently being shot.
The Broxbourne Council website describes the site as a '91 acre site, close to M25 junction 25, allocated in the Borough’s approved Local Plan 2018 – 2033 as a strategic employment site.'
Broxbourne Council have confirmed to me that the site is what is referred to in the plan as the Park Plaza West. (I wonder what the Birch Hotel and the country club folk will be making of this!)
The addition to Britain's creative industry scene is to be welcomed along with the estimated 4,500 jobs that the studio complex will create. But a development of this size will no doubt come with downsides.
Recently, I wrote about the pleasure of accessing the green spaces directly to the west of the studio site. One has to assume that what is there now would probably be lost or completely altered for all time.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by dubmill on
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The so-called Park Plaza West is Theobalds Park Farm. I see on the map you included that it's mostly shaded in red (meaning marked for development), with some 'open space' to be retained to the south. Only a few years ago, large quantities of crops were being grown on this farm. More recently, it seems to have fallen into disuse. The farmhouse is very old and indicated on the map as Grade II Listed, so presumably to be retained.
The slightly elevated path running north to south along the New River currently has very pleasant views to the east, across this expanse of farmland, with the existing outskirts of Waltham Cross seen in the distance. There's also a public footpath that runs through the farmland, though it isn't much used. I'll be very sad to see most of this go.
Immediately to the north is Maxwells Farm, which was reported in 2018 to be also earmarked for development. I don't know if that's been approved and possibly already commenced.
https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/plans-business-park-nex...
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Thanks for the link to the Maxwell's farm article, It does look like the fate of areas like this that have survived against all odds is now sealed.
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It would appear that in this area the A10 was considered in the past to be the western limit of new development, but now the New River is the limit, so any remaining pockets of open land between the A10 and the New River are seen as ideal for development.
It's shocking to me that whereas for decades the Green Belt seemed to hold (after the unrestricted development of the late 19th and early 20th century), all of a sudden the flood gates have opened, and development proposals are no longer small things here and there, but huge, with whole swathes of open space disappearing in one go. Presumably, the same thing is happening all over the country. But why is it necessary?
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It might seem pedantic but I don't like the redefinition of this area as Park Plaza.
The 'Park' admittedly does appear to refer to the former Theobald's Park, an estate that presumably included Theobald's Park Farm. But 'Plaza' is an Americanism. I note that it is a Spanish word and originally means the same as 'square' in this country, but it says on Wikipedia that in the US, in addition to that original meaning, it can mean a number of other things including:
- any open area usually located near urban buildings and often featuring walkways, trees and shrubs, places to sit, and sometimes shops
- a shopping center of any size
- a toll plaza, where traffic must temporarily stop to pay tolls
- an area adjacent to an expressway which has service facilities (such as restaurants, gas station, and restrooms)
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Agree - it’s a horrible name and makes it sound like a shopping destination. What’s wrong with Park Studios or Theobald Studios?
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Park Plaza is the name given the plots in the Broxbourne local plan. The working name for the studios is Sunset Studios (see image).
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Ta
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Permalink Reply by Classical Contrarian on
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Although it's a shame that the location couldn't be on brownfield or a location like Tottenham that could include mixed redevelopment. I'm not sure it's a huge loss due to the very loud location nestled between two main roads and a roundabout. The location is not really virgin countryside - to be debated I guess.
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I agree it’s not the loveliest of locations but it contains the remains of Theobald House Estate from the 16th century as well as a listed farm and barn - be interesting to see how they handle the heritage and archeological angles. I imagine the real pull is the ease of access from the M25 and Stansted Airport.
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See the article I linked to in the original post. Yes, it’s near to busy roads, but despite that……..
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It is agricultural land, with crops still grown on it until very recently. There are roads nearby but the location itself, once you get away from the road, is not loud. It's very peaceful.
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This land is a regular wintering site for flocks of Golden Plovers, one of the most beautiful of our wading birds. Buy hey ho let's have more TV content instead.
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