planning

=Planning & Development=


 * We are facing extreme pressures from private and corporate developers and town planners leading to a range of concerns & problems, and pressure on an already inadequate social infrastructure (schools, health facilities, parks, public transport, community centres and other facilities etc).

Throughout Haringey there are an ever-growing number of residents’ objections, campaigns & controversies over proposed local developments.**

Local Issues Planning Policies The Planning System Bits and Pieces planning - Archive

Residents’ concerns include the following problems - the results of current Haringey and London-wide development policies.
 * loss of **heritage and conservation** features
 * unwanted **over-development**
 * **over-intense housing development** //- maximum densities were __tripled__ from 1998 – 2006//
 * vast majority of **housing development is unaffordable** to local people in need //- last year only 11% of 624 homes completed were social housing, despite this being ‘justification’ for unacceptable policies//
 * loss of valued **‘backlands’** sites
 * loss of undesignated but important **open space**
 * failure to address open space **deficiencies**
 * lack of children’s **play facilities**
 * poor project **design**
 * loss of **community facilities** //eg. healthcare sites, local shops, meeting places & community pubs//
 * loss of **publicly-owned land**
 * stress and competition over **availability of land** generally in the borough
 * loss of **front gardens** //- concerns include the quality of street scene, pedestrian safety, flooding etc//
 * increasing **pollution** //- visual, air and noise//
 * illegal advertising **hoardings and billboards**
 * **street clutter**
 * **increasing traffic**, undermining the need for safer, greener, ‘living’ streets
 * **lack of resources** for maintenance & improvement of public facilities, buildings & services

Everyone now recognises that we must have environmentally and socially sustainable communities, yet despite many good sentiments, planning policies are not effective in protecting the interests of local communities. The reasons include:

- **The policies** themselves - **The interpretation of the policies** - **Failure to commit to, and enforce, key policies** **which are supposed to protect community interests** (eg social infrastructure, housing density limits, heritage etc) when contrasted with other policies (eg house-building and large scale development) - **Enforcement of conditions and agreements** - **The lack of a level playing field** between local residents & well-resourced developers - **The reliance on S106 payments**, instead of __actual__ planning gains - **Objectors denied their right to appeal**, unlike developers - **The need to listen to, genuinely consult, and empower communities** instead of giving increasing power to the Mayor and central government


 * Hence we object to some of the current policies, call for a range of improvements, and support local community campaigns which address these issues.**

More details, and updated news and documents will be added shortly....

Archive:

[|REMOVING HARINGEY’S BILLBOARDSDecember ‘05 briefing by the HFRA Secretary] December 2005 [| Victory Against Paul Simon Ltd - Tower Blocks Chucked Out] 9.03.05 [| HFRA UDP Presentation to Council Executive] 22.02.05 [| Save Haringey's Heritage - Halt The 'Paul Simon' Tower Block] 6.02.05 [|COMMUNITIES FIRST! initial report (for press) of the Sept 25 th residents' conference] [| COMMUNITIES FIRST! residents' conference on planning & development -] 25th September 2004 [| Letter to LBH re UDP consultation 2004][| First Deposit UDP Review -] 18th December 2003 [| Council's UDP Consultation Press Release,] 17th November 2003 [|Council's UDP Consultation Press Release,] 24th October 2003