Agenda item

Proposal: Proposals seek to deliver 30 new homes in five buildings fronting Lansdowne Road at Arundel Court and Baldewyne Court.

The Committee considered the pre-application briefing for proposals seek to deliver 30 new homes in five buildings fronting Lansdowne Road at Arundel Court and Baldewyne Court.

The applicant team and officers responded to questions from the Committee:

·         It was enquired whether the applicant team had considered building additional flats on top of the existing buildings to reduce the potential impact and retain the garages. The applicant team noted that this had been considered but that there were a number of issues, including cost implications, funding arrangements, and complications with the tenants and leaseholders in the existing buildings. It was explained that the project brief had been to build new homes on new council owned sites. It was noted that building on top of existing properties was not part of the current programme but that the council was considering this as a possible option in the longer term.

·         In relation to parking, the Planning Officer explained that a parking stress survey had been undertaken which indicated that there was sufficient capacity. It was noted that 18 of the 33 spaces at Arundel Court would be retained and 13 of the 30 spaces at Baldewyne Court would be retained; in total, there would be a loss of 32 spaces.

·         The Committee asked about the tenure mix of the proposals an noted that a number of people would not be eligible for council housing. It was enquired whether it was possible to bring forward a mixed tenure scheme. The applicant team explained that the funding from the Mayor of London was to deliver new council affordable rental property and that this was why sites had been identified to optimise the number and types of housing to respond to housing need. It was acknowledged that this application would only provide one or two bed units but it was highlighted that there were other schemes which would provide larger family units. It was explained that the site was a narrow strip of land and that, due to the space requirements for family units, it was better suited to one and two bed units.

·         It was also confirmed that the applicant was looking to enhance the external amenities, including new landscaping and play space, new planting, bike stores, and refuse and recycling stores. It was noted that the focus was on external areas as Homes for Haringey had scheduled internal upgrade works.

·         It was noted that the application proposed a number of small courtyards and there were concerns that these might be sources of anti-social behaviour. The applicant team explained that these areas would be better overlooked and landscaped to ensure that they were safe and were not a source of nuisance. It was noted that the applicant was liaising with Secured by Design and it was anticipated that the proposals would be gold rated.

·         Some members stated that the design of the proposal was unattractive, that local authority schemes should be exemplars, and that the design should be readdressed.

·         The Committee noted that the windows in the proposed blocks seemed to directly overlook the existing blocks and that some bedrooms would only be separated by 2.5 metres. The applicant team explained that the gable ends contained slot windows for the hallways but that the Quality Review Panel (QRP) had suggested that there was room for improvement and this would be considered. It was noted that it might be possible to move the blocks to improve the relationship between buildings.

·         It was noted that the QRP had recommended the provision of lifts in the new building which would provide for long term occupation based on mobility. The applicant team noted that this had been considered but that lifts were very expensive to install and maintain. It was explained that this would not be possible as the scheme would not provide enough units to ensure that the cost was viable.

The Chair thanked the applicant team for attending.