Application Library

last updated 7.3.06

To read more on the appeal process visit ' Appeal PI ' Page

Application Update

How dose it work | The process of making the decisions on this application can be described as 3 stages and 2 levels:

Local level :
Stage 1 | Planners report: Planners are professionals employed by the council, their role is to take all consideration into account including our comments and compiling their recommendation into a report for the planning sub committee meeting.
In this case: planners recommended to refuse this application

3.10.05 | Haringey Planners have completed their report for the Planning application Sub Committee (PASC) and recommend refusal of the concrete batching plant application!
Planning Officers report (word file)

Stage 2 | Planning application sub committee (PASC): Members of this committee are 9 elected councillors, who have the final say on all planning applications. They normally tend to follow the professional advice of the planners, but this is not always the case!
In this case: Haringay refused london concrete application

11.10.05 | London Concrete planning application was refused in last night Planning Application Sub Committee (pasc) meeting.

National level:
Stage 3 | Government Planning inspector: After decision has been made by the PASC locally, Stage 1 the applicant and only the applicant has the right to appeal to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
In this case: Appeal was a public inquiry. It start on the 13th of December 2005 and ended on the 20th of March 2006.

26.11.05 | All parties have now submitted proof of evidence to the inspector. All documents are available here on the right hand side.

11.10.05 | London Concrete planning application was refused in last night Planning Application Sub Committee (pasc) meeting.

15.9.05 | A public meeting The meeting was very well attended and the hall was not big enough to sit every one who came, with many standing or sitting on the floor. Over 300 people came despite the short notice, lack of publicity by Haringey and despite it taking place on the same evening many local schools had their first parents meetings. If we were to take these factors out of the equation it is likely we could have seen well over 500 people attend this meeting.

Both Haringey MP’s where present Lynne Featherstone, who made a great effort to inform people of this meeting by sending emails and personal letters. And David Lammy MP for Tottenham.

Chairing the meeting was Leader of the council councillor Charles Adje. He was joined by a large panel of councillors and the MP’s. - Deputy executive member for Enterprise & Regeneration councillor Harry Lister, and executive member for Environment & Conservation councillor Peter Hillman. Planning department representative included Shifa Mustafa and Paul Tomkins. Local Councillors for Harringay Takki Sulaiman and last but not least LAURA EDGE who has been truly leading on this issue all the way from the beginning of this application to this day! Her commitment and hard work must be noted as without her help and dedication we will not be here today. Many other councillors local and otherwise were also present at the meeting.

London Concrete (LC) did not make the effort to attend, but sent their ‘unqualified to answer anything’ representative who did a very good job at raising the levels of antagonism and anger already reaching all time high.

Local residents did not learn any thing new, as usual questions were dogged and real answers were in short supply.

The most interesting thing came at the end when ALL our representative had to make their stand and voice their position on this. They all used very strong words in defiance of this application. Please see press coverage for quotes here

We welcome the newly found dedication of all our representative and look forward to witnessing those words TRANSLAT INTO ACTION  and  NEW promises fulfilled!

Full story here | Haringey

10.9.05| Haringey Planning department has commissioned independent consultant to look into the reports submitted by London concrete regarding the impact of their proposed development. Since those reports did not arrive on planning officers' desk on time, and since haringey once again was exposed to not have consulted as they have promised to do in the summer last year and had to give more time for people to respond, Planning Sub Committee will not be able to determine this application on 12th Sept 2005 as planned.

London Concrete planning application is now set be heard on 10.10.05 Planning Sub Committee meeting.

22.9.05 | Haringey commissioned reports

• Planning Officers report
• Transport report
• Traffic survey
• Dust report
• Bat survey

17.8.05 | GreenN8 Statement of Objection II

4.7.05| London Concrete have finally submitted the long awaited amendments to their second planning application. As a result a new consultation process has been launched. Haringey's new Consultation letter lists the amendments to the application and asks residents to make their comments by 25.7.05

Copies of the newly submitted plan are available at:
* Haringey web site
* Hornsey Library
* Haringey offices, 639 High St.N17

Haringey Planning Sub Committee (PSC) is set to meet and make a formal determination of the application on 12th Sept 2005.

London Concrete have appealed to the Secretary of State on grounds of non - determination of their first planning application to build a concrete plant in N8.

The planning inspectorate have confirmed to Haringey that the appeal will involve a public inquiry and is expected to be held between the 14th-16th of December 2005 at the Wood Green Civic Centre.

Alongside the appeal, London Concrete have resubmitted a second application. This two-pronged approach is also known as the "twin track" procedure.

Second Application

Plan submitted | Received on 4.7.05

• Plans 1 2 3

Reports submitted | Received on 21.7.05

• Planning Application | pdf 3mb
• Ecological appraisal | pdf 4.6mb
• Dust assessment | pdf 672kb
• Transport assessment | pdf 64kb
• Noise assessment | pdf 1.8mb

First Application
To see maps and pictures of the proposed site - Click here

As part of the first application process London Concrete Ltd had submitted five documents 4 of which are 'independent' reports, commissioned by London Concrete Ltd, exploring the impact of such project on the local community and the environment.

1. Ferme park, Cranford Way report accompanying planning application by London Concrete Ltd. By Firstplan Ltd
Available at Crouch End library at Haringey Park N8.
Click here to download a pdf file 3.3mb

Ecological appraisal
2. Ecological appraisal of Ferme Park, Hornsey. By Cresswell Associates
As part of this report Cresswell Associates commissioned a search from London Wildlife Trust This report is titled:
2a. An ecological data search of Ferme Park, Hornsey, Greater London.
The full document is available at Crouch End library, Haringey Park N8.
Click here to download The London Wildlife Trust report as pdf file 2.2mb

Airborne dust assessment
3. Ferme Park, Hornsey proposed concrete plant airborne dust assessment for London Concrete Ltd. By Smith Grant LLP
Available at Crouch End library. Haringey Park N8.
Click here to download a pdf file (532kb)
Related links:
Environmental Law Foundation
www.elflaw.org

Transport assessment
4. London Concrete Ltd proposed concrete batching plant at Ferme Park, Cranford Way, Hornsey Transport assessment. By Bellamy Roberts
Available at Crouch End library, Haringey Park N8.
Related links:

Noise assessment
5. London Concrete Ltd proposed concrete batching plant at Ferme Park, Cranford Way, Hornsey Environmental Noise assessment. By D.F. Sharp
Available at Crouch End library, Haringey Park N8.
Click here to download a pdf file 1.4mb
Related links:
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/noise

Information about this planning application is also available from Crouch End library at Haringey Park N8.

GreenN8 Statement of objections

Green N8 Residents Group have submitted 2 reports and 1535 petition signatures to Haringey Council detailing their objections to proposals to build a concrete factory in the residential heart of the area.

The 50 page report, coordinated by Green N8 residents group, highlights the inadequacies of the research into the potential impacts of the factory commissioned by the applicant, London Concrete Ltd. It also challenges a number of the assertions made in the proposal. We are confident that the evidence we have provided will be considered objectively and we are hopeful that Haringey Council will arrive at the right decision .”

GreenN8 Summary of Objection (PDF 156 kb)
GreenN8 Statement of Objection (PDF 264 kb)

Government Planning policy guidance note
To read Government Planning policy guidance notes Click here
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs www.defra.gov.uk

Mayor of London - The London Plan

To read Mayor of London - The London Plan Click here

Haringey Unitary Development Plan

To read Haringey Unitary Development Plan Click here

About London Concrete Ltd

About london Concrete Ltd

The Consultation Process

Haringey consultation letters
(html)

Objecting by writing letters

This page includes some sample letters which you could copy, paste, sign and send to the relevant people.

Leaflets and Posters and Petition Form

Please find a ready made Leaflet and Posters to help inform others where they can find out more information and get involved

A4 Posters (pdf file)
Leaflets (pdf file)
News letter (pdf file 324kb)
Petition form (pdf file 24kb)

The UK Planning System And Haringey's Development Control Department | posted on the 3.7.04

By Cllr Laura Edge and Cllr David Winskill

Background

The UK planning system goes back to the 1940’s and has been amended, patched and altered over the years. Whether we like it or not, this is what we have and what we have to work with.

It has been characterised as a quasi- judicial process: the actual local authorities, planning officers and councillors (on the Planning Committee) have relatively little discretion and must make their decisions based on written planning guidance. This is a series on national, regional and local documents.

The National level – a series of Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG’s) setting out the Government’s framework that Local Authorities must use when assessing planning applications.

Beneath this is the regional level, (used to be Regional Planning Policy – RPG’s): in London this is the recently adopted Mayor’s Plan.

At the local level every Borough must produce a local plan: the Unitary Development Plan (UDP). Haringey are currently revising their UDP. There are other documents called SPG’s – Special Policy Guidance notes that are usually site or activity (eg child care provision) specific.

Over the years planning policy advantage swings between communities and developers. Bad news: currently the pendulum is in the developers’ quadrant and still moving away from communities. Good news: communities like ours have never had better access to information and experience or been better organised to fight.

The Process

When a planning application arrives at the Council, provided it meets the required standards of drawings etc., it is registered with Development Control and a clock starts ticking. The application must be ‘determined’ within a set time – 13 weeks for a large application.

A fee (depending on the size of the application) is payable to compensate Haringey for the cost of processing the application. These fees are set nationally. For the really big applications it costs the developer (who might make £millions) relatively little – low £thousands - but the Council a great deal of officer time and other expenditure.

Haringey must tell local people that the application has been received and invite their comments. This is the consultation stage that enables councils to take account of community feeling. Successful objections depend on making the right points, contesting assertions and justifications made by developers in their application.

Community involvement, however, is crucial as a supine and defenceless host community will be walked over and developers will succeed. Bear in mind that there is no-one else to do this for you. The buck stops with you!

The planners will look at the application and assess it in relation to the planning guidelines, the Mayor’s Plan and the UDP.

They will then write a report that explains, in planning terms, how their decision to recommend approval or refusal has been made.

This then goes to the PASC – the Planning Application Sub Committee, which meets monthly. This is comprised of seven or eight councillors (two LibDem, the rest Labour). An Officer will present the report. If it recommends refusal then the Committee usually accepts this and there will be no further discussion. If the recommendation is approval, then local people are given the opportunity to address the Committee. Not everyone will be heard – usually only community or residents’ groups representatives. The developer will be given an opportunity to respond to the points they make.

The decision might not be made on the night: sometimes the Committee will request a site visit. This is not an opportunity to lobby members or to demonstrate – rather it is a chance to point out things that are unclear on plans or not brought out properly in written submissions.

The Committee, if it gives permission, has the power to attach Conditions – times of operation, maximum number of tables in a restaurant, noise levels etc.

It can also ask the developers to enter into a Section 106 agreement. This allows the local authority to require the developer to spend money on infrastructure items to ameliorate the effects of developments. Items might include traffic management schemes, conservation measures, donations to schools, social housing. Recently local authorities have been getting more robust in what they ask for – some people feel that this amounts to a development tax, others that it makes the developer pay for some of the impact that his project will have.

If the decision is to allow the application, the local community has no right of appeal. If it is to refuse, the developer can appeal to the Office of the deputy Prime Minister. If he feels that there are grounds for appeal, an inspector will be appointed and an appeal will take place.

Councils who refuse permission on thin or non-planning grounds and lose the appeal, run the risk of having costs awarded against them. This will come out of the planning department’s budget: for this reason few councils will risk refusing permission unless they have very good, defensible, reasons.