Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
No Additional Customer Parking in Massive TK Maxx Arena Retail Expansion
A planning application linked to significant growth of retail space at the Arena Shopping Park revealed plans to increase staff parking by 50% whilst making no allowance whatsoever for additional customer parking.
The transition of Unit 3 at the Arena Shopping Park from Royal Mail Sorting Office to TK Maxx will see a 15% increase in retail space.
Given the atrocious traffic planning around the last growth in retail space on the site, my concerns on hearing the news of the change last year were about the effect on traffic.
My concern was heightened when I read the following glib statement in last year's change of use application from the developers:
The application premises are located in a sustainable location with good public transport links located in close proximity to the site. In addition there is a large resident catchment population thereby enabling local residents to either walk or cycle to the application premises.
In other words, they weren't going to consider the impact of the additional traffic at all.
It was somewhat reassuring to see that the Council's approval of the change of use application was subject to both a traffic management and parking management plan.
Last week the parking management plan was lodged (copy attached). This foresees the growth of staff parking at the Arena from 26 spaces to 39 spaces - a 50% increase. Despite the addition of 15% more retail space, it makes no allowance for any increase in the number of customer spaces however. With existing provision for 200 customer vehicles, one might have expected an additional 30 spaces.
As you may suspect, I'm neither a retail expert nor a traffic planner, but, unless there's an assumption of existing over-capacity of customer parking spaces I'm not immediately convinced of the logic that underpins this new parking plan.
Most worryingly for me however, is the effect of the retail space growth on the flow of traffic in and around the development. Those of us who have lived in the area for a few years will remember the traffic fiasco that accompanied the last increase of retail space in the same area.
We'll have to wait for the publication of the traffic management plan to see how the developers and the Council plan to tackle the issue this time round, but last week's parking plan taken along with past experience doesn't leave me feeling reassured.
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Tags for Forum Posts: arena shopping park, t k maxx
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by cara howard on
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It really doesn't help that the High-Vis wearing individuals, presumably placed to 'aid' the traffic flow, simply stand around in groups chatting.
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Permalink Reply by Carol Tennant on
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On Sunday, there was a 20 queue just to park - there were no high-vis wearing types in evidence - but I've found in the past that, when they are bothered, the blokes directing traffic help keep it moving. It's obvious from that alone that traffic flow is the problem - it's a big bottleneck, as we all know.
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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Four bus routes, an overground stop and a tube nearby... the Arena really is well connected for public transport. We should be encouraging people to walk or take public transport. It's a rubbish system I know getting in and out of there by car and some folk have to drive. But making more exits and spaces will only increase the traffic and we are back to square one. Encourage people to come by bus, let's have more of them and fewer cars.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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The best encouragement for people to not drive there is to make the traffic problems worse... sadly.
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Permalink Reply by Takaokagiejin on
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Splendid idea, shall we stage a mass sit in on the road outside McDonald's ?
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Permalink Reply by Anette on
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@ John, Not true, People will just drive somwehere else. When you're in a car it makes no difference if you add on another 5 mins to your journey as long as you can exit the premises easily again. Which you can't from Sainsbury's. But can from Waitrose on Holloway Road. Just sayin'
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Permalink Reply by KatieH on
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I was also stuck in the Homebase car park for around half an hour on Sunday, waiting for the lights to change and the gridlock to move (there were actually at least 10 empty spaces in the car park too, it's just that no one could get to them!). It's a complete nightmare, but I disagree that it can be solved purely by encouraging people not to drive - its the nature of shops like Homebase and Tesco that make those shopping more likely to need a car to transport their purchases (not to mention the presence of the petrol station and drive-thru). Something needs to be done to ease the one-way system - the idea of an extra exit onto Green Lanes sounds useful if not entirely viable, or at least parking times could be reduced (who needs 2 hours in Homebase?!) and shoppers could be encouraged to use the MacDonalds and the back of the Sainsburys car parks...!
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It's not the 'nature' of those shops that make us 'need' to drive but us giving in to them and their manipulative ways in terms of thnking what we must have and do....!
I have managed never to drive in my life and yet still manage to shop at all sorts of places and my life hasn't suffered. I have furniture in my home and food on my table.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Ah - the wonders of a shopping trolley!
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Broad back!! I guess I buy what I can carry and go back again if needs be. I know it's not always easy for people with kids or those with mobility or health problems.
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There has to be a bottleneck somewhere in the system to restrict car traffic. Quite obviously more car parking provision, more entries/exits, etc. will just induce more demand for car travel, and make it less likely that people will choose other forms of transport. What I find most offensive about this is the suggestion that someone who is inclined to drive will choose another form of transport without doing anything to make that alternative form of transport as easy and convenient as driving. There's just no way someone would choose to cycle or walk when they usually get in the car - unless serious and meaningful improvements are made to make travelling by foot/bike as easy as getting into a car - they will just drive somewhere else. The plan talks of 'encouraging' non-car travel but there's not even any mention of badly needed improvements in cycle parking. Sainsburys' inconvenient, theft-magnet cycle parking is why I don't shop there and will continue to shop elsewhere.
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