Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Building extension 140 Fairfax Road
A large building extension is currently being build at the back of 140 Fairfax Road (back on Effingham Road side). It is very large and appears to need council planning permission. I checked the Council Online Planning application but could not find any application for that address. I just want to check if anyone knows about the building work going on at that address. Thanks.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by PeterPiper on
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Perhaps it's time to call planning enforcement at LBH and ask if they are aware of it.
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Yes that's good, but try phoning them & see if there is an officer looking into this, get their name and keep on their case if you are concerned about the issue. Other posts regarding illegal HMOs note that one has to be very persistent if planning regulations are being violated.
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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If it's the stand alone building (size of a garage) that is on an Effingham Road (127) property at the end of their garden it is the reference I sent you. You would be able to see this from 140 Fairfax. If it is on a Fairfax property, ignore me : )
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Permalink Reply by AndyBarron on
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Birdy, as far as I am aware, the building you refer to in the garden of no.127 falls within the limits (in terms of dimensions etc) of what is permitted development and does not therefore require planning permission - much to my annoyance as I look directly onto it.
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The planning office are and have been looking into this, but have yet to come to a conclusion. I would have thought that this breaches numerous regulations; sanitation, party wall agreements, fire escapes etc. I may well be wrong and you right, but this does seem crazy? I will let you know if there is any favourable outcome.
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I'd be grateful if you could let me know of any updates on this - as I say, I'd be keen to see the structure taken down. I'm not all that up-to-speed on regs such as party wall, sanitation, fire safety etc, but I do believe it conforms with planning regs.
I did speak with the owner of 127 when this was being built to express my concerns and he informed me that he had spoken closely with the LBH planners regarding dimensions, proportion of the garden it uses etc and on a general inspection it does appear to meet those criteria. However, as you say, it may breach other regs.
My biggest fear is the precedent it sets and the potential for all the back gardens to be filled with poorly-designed "out houses", destroying the green corridors that runs between the ladder roads.
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Permalink Reply by Coco on
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I got an automated reply from Haringey Enforcement stating that the case will be allocated to an officer and that they will contact me. I now deal with the Council only in writing leaving a trail and NEVER by phone again. Since 2003 we phoned the Enforcement Office over 20 times about the recently illegally converted house next to us and used by Haringey Council as Temporary Accomadation (Peace and quiet gone for ever!). Enforcement Officials lied and mislead us several times over the phone about the actions they has taken and the actions they would take. Specially telling us several times that Notice had been served to the landlord, that the case was locked in and that they were sending the case to their legal team. In 2007 an Enforcement Official confirmed to me that the case had not been sent to their legal team and since the conversion was now over 4 years old the case was closed. We lodged an official complaint to the Council in 2007 and got a reply only last week from Niall Bolger (Director of Urban Environment) with some sort of apology for the fact that the matter could not be dealt with at the time. Anyway we are sill fuming!
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Permalink Reply by Anette on
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Coco, that's awful, and surely this is completely wrong! If they say the case was being looked into when you first complained, then I believe the 4 year rule does not apply. get on to them again and explain it to them, it's their mistake, and they need to rectify it.
Don't give up. Do you have any names of the people you spoke to? Anything in writing at all? Does anyone else here know how this would work? Once a complaint has been made, and it's within the 4 years, I am pretty sure that's it, and if the conversion is deemed illegal it will have to be converted back.
Anyone else? This is really one to look into!
Sorry, off topic here..
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There's an ombudsman for this type of 'error'. When dealing with the council, it's important to get a case/reference number because they do get a great deal of calls and enquiries - not that I wish to be an apologist for them - just that I've also suffered similar failures from LBH in the past.
You have my sympathies with all the problems you've experienced Coco.
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Thank you Annette and PeterPiper
Yes I did provide all the info to the Council about the dates of the phone conversations with the name of the officers that mislead us.
We will probably try the ombudsman.
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Permalink Reply by Stuart on
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All - emails are the way to go. All Planning and Enforcement Officers are on email and I find generally respond quite quickly (or, at least, when chased they do!). Will save you having to copy everything, send it registered post etc.
Michelle - have you corresponded with Alan Stanton, a councillor and regular HOLer? He is very involved with a few planning issues at the moment and may be able to help. Also, I have a lot of experience now of dealing with some of these issues so if you PM me, I'm happy to offer what knowledge I have. -
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