Highgate Neighbourhood Forum response to Haringey Local Plan Consultation

January 2021

The Highgate Neighbourhood Forum welcomes the opportunity to comment on the new Local Plan for Haringey and looks forward to working with the Council to deliver improvements in the area for residents, businesses and visitors. We welcome that Neighbourhood Planning is acknowledged in the document as a key way for communities to have a say in the development of their area and the borough more widely.

We support the ambitions set out in the plan to provide more housing, with 40% affordable as an ambitious target, to protect and develop businesses in the area in particular independent, small businesses, to support and enhance local community and cultural facilities and also the vision of addressing the climate crisis challenge through a range of policies.

We would ask the Highgate High Street is added to the list of local Town Centres and High Streets.

We would support a greater drive for high design quality through the involvement of communities at an early stage in large regeneration or residential schemes and greater use of the Design Review Panels and Community Review Panels.

 Section 4.10 Area 6: Muswell Hill and Highgate

General Comments

• Great to see Highgate Neighbourhood Plan mentioned in opening paragraphs and “The Council will have regard to these (plan objectives) when preparing the New Local Plan”. We are keen to work with the Council to achieve common objectives and also to let the new Local Plan inform changes to the Highgate Neighbourhood Plan when it is revisited in 2022.
• However, we disagree with Highgate once again put in the same ‘area’ as Muswell Hill and Muswell Hill Broadway marked as the District Centre. We feel we have more affiliations and issues in common with Crouch End and are working with the Crouch End Neighbourhood Forum on various issues including getting a local Hoppa bus route to connect our village centres and other local centres including Dartmouth Park and Hampstead.

Response to the key themes

• Housing – Aylmer Road and Archway gyratory ear marked as opportunity for new development of taller buildings with affordable homes. HNF support this as per HNF Plan Policies SC1 I and KS1.
• Site Allocations from Highgate Neighbourhood Plan KS1 460 – 470 Archway Road, KS4 40 Muswell Hill Road offer good, large scale potential residential sites next to Highgate Underground Station and local retail and community facilities.
• Also support aim of downsizing as per Plan Policy SC1 III although clarification on how to encourage this is needed.

People –

• Opportunities are to support the social and cultural infrastructure of Highgate beyond Highgate School including Jacksons Lane Arts Centre, Highgate Library, various churches and the community amenities they provide and also groups including the Highgate Society, HLSI, residents groups for Hillcrest Estate and Goldsmiths Court, local allotment sites.
• Also support local community events including Highgate Festival Highgate Wood Heritage Day, and Fair in the Square.
• Also develop improved facilities for children and young people including new HNF CIL projects – BMX track next to Highgate Library for young adults and new natural Play Space on Parkland Walk for younger children.
• Also encourage public access to private sports facilities owned by local schools.
• We would also like to work with the council on providing play spaces on the Hillcrest Estate which could be achieved before any additional housing is placed on the site.

Place –

• Agree that the Archway Road would benefit from façade improvements but would also benefit from increased planting of trees and enhancement of small green spaces including mini park between Gonnermans and the Boogaloo and creating a mini-park at the top of Wembury Road.
• We strongly support the protection of independent shop on Archway Road and Highgate High Street in any post-COVID recovery plans. We have connected with the High Streets Team at Haringey to work with them on various initiatives to be decided.
• We would challenge that there are good links across the borough in particular links east to west or SW to NE which cause difficulties for residents accessing Council offices in Wood Green, and also linking various local centres including Crouch End, Highgate, Dartmouth Park and Hampstead (NB joint Forum project to develop a local Hoppa to address this).
• Also support protecting our trees and green infrastructure including improvements to Parkland Walk, Highgate Wood and Queens Wood and other smaller green spaces that provide vital ecological green corridors throughout the borough which we are discussing with other forums on the Camden side of the Plan area.
• We support the use of key landmark buildings in the area to act as wayfinders but also celebrate the unique architectural heritage of Highgate, encourage locals to walk and cycle in the area and to encourage visitors to the area.

Economy –

• to protect economic and local shopping areas including Archway Road and Highgate High Street through post-Covid recovery
• Support the enhancement of the public realm and shopping experience offering places to sit and reducing commuter traffic to improve air quality and safety.
• Support for independent businesses through reduced business rates.
• Improvement of local public transport options including a local Hoppa Bus connecting our local retail cores and safer walking and cycling routes and storage facilities.