Councillors vote to approve plan for thousands of new Tottenham homes

[mawspurs]

Plans to knock down hundreds of homes and businesses in Tottenham to make way for a huge regeneration scheme have been approved by councillors.

The High Road West development, set to create thousands of new homes opposite Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, was waved through by Haringey Council's planning subcommittee on Thursday.

Source: Haringey Community Press

 

[KirstyG]

Wasn’t this what many people including the club seemed to be against?

Lots of little envelopes, favours and concessions.

 

[Metalhead]

I don't know - it's obviously a debate that could easily be accused of going off topic but the question is inevitably going to be about whether this truly benefits local residents. So much of London seems to be off limits to (and I know that this is somewhat of an arbitrary description), ordinary Londoners.

 

[PCozzie]

More in depth discussion on this has been going on in the 'regeneration' thread here, both before and after this post.

 

[Locotoro]

I don't know - it's obviously a debate that could easily be accused of going off topic but the question is inevitably going to be about whether this truly benefits local residents. So much of London seems to be off limits to (and I know that this is somewhat of an arbitrary description), ordinary Londoners.

Regeneration is 'gentrification'

 

[davidmatzdorf]

Regeneration is 'gentrification'

It is now. It wasn't when housing associations started doing it in the 90s. Regeneration schemes were dominated by genuinely affordable social housing, with just enough private housing to de-ghetto-ise the neighbourhood and help pay for the project.

Then after 2010, the capital grants for new affordable housing were basically terminated and the new government forced councils to work with the mega-house-builders, who - of course - took the planners to the cleaners over the percentage of supposedly "affordable" housing, which is now either shared ownership or rented at 80% of market rents.

I can't name a post-2010 "regeneration" scheme that hasn't been turned into a profit-spinning opportunity for Barratts or LendLease or Argent or Fairview to build tracts of high-rise flats for sale, with a rump of not very "affordable" housing tucked away in a corner somewhere.

That's not what we called "regeneration" when we did it.

 

[Locotoro]

It is now. It wasn't when housing associations started doing it in the 90s. Regeneration schemes were dominated by genuinely affordable social housing, with just enough private housing to de-ghetto-ise the neighbourhood and help pay for the project.

Then after 2010, the capital grants for new affordable housing were basically terminated and the new government forced councils to work with the mega-house-builders, who - of course - took the planners to the cleaners over the percentage of supposedly "affordable" housing, which is now either shared ownership or rented at 80% of market rents.

I can't name a post-2010 "regeneration" scheme that hasn't been turned into a profit-spinning opportunity for Barratts or LendLease or Argent or Fairview to build tracts of high-rise flats for sale, with a rump of not very "affordable" housing tucked away in a corner somewhere.

That's not what we called "regeneration" when we did it.

Yep, exactly this.

Watford is a good example. The local council advertised for years the benefits of a "regeneration" and added investments to link up Watford Junction to London underground system, they got planning permission for 2 huge high rises beside the station of 28 and 24 storeys (totally over 1200 new properties) with only 500 car parking spaces in an already over crowded area. "They don't need more spaces" they said. "They'll have the London Underground extension".


Almost immediately after permissions were granted, the Watford Junction line was shelved and even more spaces were given up for an additional 50 building units.

Of the entire 1300 units, only 21 are marked for social rent schemes.

 

[Metalhead]

Regeneration is 'gentrification'

That is the concern.