500 White Hart Lane
Tottenham Hotspurs corporation want to build a big housing complex, consisting of five 'walls' of buildings, three with 6-storey towers, at 500 White Hart Lane. This is the boarded-up plot next to the Screwfix warehouse, diagonally opposite the Asda petrol station.
We think this project would have a major impact on our neighbourhood. It would add 144 flats, perhaps 400+ new residents, and large 5 to 6 storey towers.
We are not against development. But we are very concerned that this development is totally out of scale with the area, and flies in the face of Haringey’s official Local Plan.
View the official planning proposal documents online on Haringey Council's website. Click on the button below.
View and Comment on the Application
Have your say!
Do you agree with this plan? Do you disagree?
The official deadline ended on 14 April 2016. By that date around 79 objections were displayed on the Planning website.
Because the developers made minor changes in June 2016, the consultation period was reopened and now closes on 30 June 2016.
Things to think about:
White Hart Lane itself isn’t very nice. But the noisy busy road is surrounded by our neighbourhood – leafy streets with 2-storey terraced houses. Are urban 5-6 storey tower blocks a good fit?
Haringey’s own planning documents say that at most a 3-4 storey building would be appropriate for the location. Not overbearing 6 storey towers. Why should an exception be made for this project?
The towers will overlook and create privacy issues for nearby houses and gardens.
Speaking of exceptions, the land is currently reserved for business and industrial uses – employment uses – only. This is enshrined in Haringey’s Local Plan. The only argument the developer has made for lifting this status, and permitting residential development, is that the land is “abandoned”.
The developer claims that the spot is abandoned and “derelict” land. Yet right next door there are clean, tidy, and busy Selco and Screwfix warehouses. Clearly the area isn’t incompatible with development, just that the current owners have chosen not to develop the land at all since buying it in 2008.
If this proposal is approved, and residential building is permitted on this industrial site, it’s just a matter of time before the rest of White Hart Lane is converted into lucrative tower blocks. Is that a good thing?
The proposal will cram 144 flats into a small area. Is that density appropriate for our suburban neighbourhood?
Our population will basically double overnight. Are there amenities to handle this?
How will these 400+ new people travel? The W3 is already so crowded in the mornings that it doesn’t stop to pick up passengers at Haringey Football Ground. The developer suggests people will just walk 1.5 km to Wood Green.
There are a mere 70 proposed parking spaces. Where will other cars park? On your street?
The development plan calls for the rerouting of Devonshire Road where it joins White Hart Lane. This will actually remove at 2-3 already scarce parking spots.
Where will new residents shop? There are hardly any shops in the area.
Where will they get medical help? There are no doctors’ surgeries in the area, and many surgeries further out are refusing NHS patients.
Where will the hundreds of kids go to school?
What will the children do when not in school? There are no adjacent parks or community centres. The nearest playground is in Enfield.
The project, and the additional pressures placed on the closest amenities, would have an adverse effect on the suburban houses of the southern reaches of Enfield.
Finally, we have a more detailed history of the 500 White Hart Lane project here.
How to make your voice heard.
It’s vital that you contact the council IMMEDIATELY. The official deadline has passed, but you can still object.
If you don’t say anything, the planners won’t know what our neighbourhood’s true views are on the subject. And they’ll assume that everybody’s OK with tower blocks appearing next door.
If you need help writing up a letter, we have some sample letters right here!