NLBP planning objection letters
7th March 2016
Objection to planning application ref 15/07932/OUT
North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London, N11 1GN
I wish to speak to the committee in support of my objections to this scheme.
Introduction
I am objecting to this application in my capacity as London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden.
This application is seen in the local community as a ‘Trojan Horse’ project which will be the precursor for further high density planning applications in the area, including more tall buildings, if it gains consent.
It is generally felt that this high density development will fundamentally change the character of the local area.
Whilst I welcome the siting of the school, I do not believe that other additional infrastructure that will be needed will be in place, putting further strain on local services.
Traffic and parking
The proposed access to the site from Weirdale Avenue and Ashbourne Avenue is completely unacceptable. These roads are already busy and difficult to park in. allowing access to the site from here will add further pressure and make these roads busier and more congested.
The main roads nearby, Brunswick Park Road, Oakleigh Road North and Russell Lane are already congested at certain times, and I fear this proposal for 1,000 extra properties will only make a bad situation worse, particularly bearing in mind the impact of the waste depot for which consent has been already given.
I do not believe the local public transport network will be able to cope with such a large increase in the local population. Local buses are not well interconnected and as the area is far from large retail centres, it is likely most residents will own and use private cars. I am concerned that there will be inadequate parking provision as has occurred elsewhere in the borough, with the developers charging exorbitant fees for parking spaces, so that residents park in the nearby streets. This leads to the escalation of parking problems and ultimately a need for controlled parking zones.
I note there are no proposals to increase cycling infrastructure in the area, which might mitigate against some of the increased traffic. I also do not believe the pedestrian crossings in the area are big enough to cope with the expected increase in the number of people using them.
Overdevelopment
This application contains 8-storey blocks. This is completely out of character with the local area, which comprises mainly family housing, with some 3-4 story blocks. 8 floors are too high and dense. They would have a visually intrusive impact on the skyline. The taller towers are close to Howard Close and Brunswick Park Gardens, whose interests are overlooked as will be the homes there.
Housing tenure mix
The London Plan and Barnet’s own planning policies (Local Plan Policy DM10) require 40% of a development of this size to be ‘affordable’ subject to ‘viability’.
There is no indication from this application what will be the percentage of affordable or social housing. Given the scale of the development, I do not believe anything less that that required by the London plan would be acceptable.
Andrew Dismore AM
London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden
79 the Burroughs
London NW4 4AX
07957 625 813
5th August 2016
Objection to planning application ref: 15/07932/OUT
North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London, N11 1GN
I am objecting to this application in my capacity as London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden.
I would like to make additional objections to this application to supplement my earlier objections letter of 7th March 2016.
Traffic and parking
The proposed access to the site from Weirdale Avenue and Ashbourne Avenue remains completely unacceptable. The application contains an erroneous reference to “reopening” access to the NLBP site from Weirdale Avenue. My understanding is that this assess has never been used or has never intended to be in operation. I believe that given the layout of the roads, this proposal could be dangerous with the potential for more accidents. Of particular concern would be the construction period, where large industrial vehicles would be required to access the site. The existing entrances to North London Business Park may be are difficult to access for longer vehicles, and Weirdale Avenue is no less inappropriate.
Overdevelopment
This application retains plans for 8-storey blocks. These are completely out of character with the local area, which comprises mainly family housing, with a few 3-4 storey blocks. 8 floors would be too high and dense. They would have a visually intrusive impact on the skyline. The taller towers are close to Howard Close and Brunswick Park Gardens, whose residents’’ homes would be overlooked. This represents overdevelopment and overintensification of the site.
Housing tenure mix
The London Plan and Barnet’s own planning policies (Local Plan Policy DM10) require 40% of a development of this size to be ‘affordable’ subject to ‘viability’.
There is still no indication from this application what will be the percentage of affordable or social housing, and I do not believe anything less than 40% would be acceptable, given the scale of the development.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Dismore AM
London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden
City Hall
The Queen’s Walk
London SE1 2AA
@Andrew_Dismore
