Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
“Rabbit Hutch” development for Alexandra House, Station Road
Story in the Guardian this morning about proposals by Ability Developments to redevelop the council offices in Wood Green into 219 flats, some as small as 4m x 4m.
www.theguardian.com/money/2019/nov/23/the-billionaire-and-the-219-t...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Colin Marr on
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This is really objectionable! The planning application for this appalling scheme is live (HGY/2019/2826) and viewable on this link: http://www.planningservices.haringey.gov.uk/portal/servlets/Applica...
Several councillors have already objected and more need to be encouraged to do so. It will take some determination by the council to resist the government’s relaxed rules for “permitted developments” like this, which play into the hands of ruthless property developers.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Ruggles on
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Why does the Council not take it over for Social Housing ?
Wonder where All the Staff who currently use the building are going to ?
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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The building is simply not suitable for dwellings. If you read the article it exposes the conditions any tenants would face if it goes ahead.
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Letter in this morning’s Guardian in response to the story they published on Saturday (reproduced below or scroll to the bottom of the linked page). Hopefully members of the Planning Committee will take note.
Your article on the proposed development in north London (The billionaire and the 219 flats: a new low for rabbit hutch Britain?, Money, 23 November) demonstrates the weakness of our planning laws and the “preventative approach” – the effect of deregulation.
However, should the development proceed, the council has another route to address the problem. Many of these proposed flats will have a serious hazard of “crowding and space” under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and the local housing authority has the power to prohibit their use as a dwelling under the Housing Act 2004. This act links housing and health and defines health as including mental health, and such flats will certainly be a risk to occupiers’ mental health. The act does not distinguish between tenures, so anyone thinking of buying such a flat should beware.
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 as amended by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 also means that properties have to be fit when let and throughout the tenancy. The standard of fitness there also includes the HHSRS hazards and so would be actionable by any future tenants who move into these unfit flats.
Dr Stephen Battersby
Independent environmental healthand housing consultant; vice-president, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
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Permalink Reply by kotkas on
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Even the hardened capitalist in me finds this proposal utterly ridiculous.
The dwellings are of an absurdly small footprint and in a setting that is really not attractive for anything other than the shortest of a short-term let. This is likely to generate a lot of tenant churn which we all know can have a detrimental impact on the community.
Furthermore, the proposed re-configuration of the building appears to offer no additional amenity to the area, and doesn't appear to improve to the existing building in any way even though the architects - Ben Adams have done some superb work in Hoxton, Shoreditch and further afield.
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