Agenda item

1)    Panel report back on the site visit to the Tottenham regeneration area.

2)    Progress report on the Tottenham Regeneration corporate programme:

·         Consultation

·         Delivering the social dividend

10.1  The panel, accompanied by other local councillors, undertook a visit to Tottenham on the 12th November 2015 to visit the main regeneration sites in the area which included:

• High Road West Regeneration;

• Tottenham Hotspur FC redevelopment;

• Northumberland Park.

10.2  The panel found the visit very informative as it helped members to understand the scale of proposed regeneration plans and the challenges and opportunities that each individual site presents.  Members expressed their thanks to the Tottenham Programme Director and the Area Regeneration Manager who accompanied them on the visit. Panel members discussed a number of issues arising from the visit and which are summarised below. 

10.3  Firstly, members were keen to understand how regeneration plans intended to balance local needs for housing with local employment opportunities, particularly as the parts of the areas earmarked for development may result in the loss of some sites which were currently used for light industrial purposes (e.g. Peacock Industrial Estate).

10.4            It was noted that consultation with the Tottenham Traders Association would be ongoing throughout the regeneration process to ensure that the views of local businesses were incorporated in to such development plans.   Whilst the Area Action Plan sets out those areas identified for change, the council clearly wants to retain business sites in the area to ensure that the area continues to provide employment opportunities in addition to new homes.

10.5  The panel discussed how best the Council can continue to meaningful engage and involve local people in regeneration plans, particularly when the area plan may span the next 10-20 years and it would be at least 3-4 years before any ground is broken on development sites.  The panel noted that a difficult balance needed to be struck in getting the level of consultation right and whilst the community needed to feel involved and part of regeneration projects there was a danger of consultation fatigue.

10.6  The panel heard that the housing market continues to be very challenging, particularly in relation to those factors that contribute to viability of regeneration schemes, and which would ultimately affect the delivery of new affordable homes. Costs continued to rise within the sector which would impact on deliverability of affordable homes and other regeneration ambitions.

10.7  The development of Tottenham High Road was discussed by the panel, particularly in relation to the commercial offer.  It was noted from panel discussions that:

• Consultations had shown that people wanted more skilled jobs and more developed access to local training opportunities;

• Local people wanted to spend in Tottenham High Road, but needed a different mix of commercial premises and retail outlets to encourage and support this;

• The size of current retail units should be more varied to encourage different business opportunities (current makeup is too restrictive);

• The diversity of local retail opportunities would be critical to help develop the identity of the area.

10.8  The panel noted that there had been some areas of considerable investment which would contribute to the improvement in this Tottenham High Road area, which included:

• Investment in shop frontage;

• Support provided to Holcombe Road Market;

• Transport for London public realm improvements;

• A new frontage with additional retail space to be provided at Bruce Grove Station.

10.9 The panel noted that the A10, which runs the length of Tottenham High Road, generated significant traffic levels which were a barrier to this area being seen as a commercial destination.  High volumes of traffic and associated road safety issues will need to be recognised and addressed to support the commercial and retail ambitions for this area.

10.10         The panel discussed the different mediums through which local residents and other stakeholders were engaged and involved in regeneration plans.  It was noted that within feedback from local residents, the ‘Tottenham News’ a newsletter sent to all residents from the regeneration team, had a wide readership and had high levels of acceptability within the community. The regeneration team noted that this medium would be continued to be used to help communicate and engage with local residents.

10.11         The Chair thanked officers for attending the meeting and for supporting the visit to the regeneration sites in Tottenham.