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London council decides against demolition of tower block in shake-up of development plans
A London council has ruled out demolishing a 47-home block in order for the site to be redeveloped, but said it remains on track with wider development plans.
Haringey Council had previously considered Stokley Court in Hornsey for potential redevelopment in 2020 after a survey found that the block of one-bedroom flats, housing people over 50 with support needs, was “in a state of decline”.
However, a report by council officers this month said that after “updated stock condition surveys and extensive feasibility studies for re-development… demolition and re-build is not the optimum route”.
The council’s cabinet this month approved the recommendation, meaning the site will be removed from Haringey’s housing delivery programme.
The report did however flag that “work is required to improve the condition of the building” and has been referred to the council’s asset management team for review.
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This comes amid long-running scrutiny of estate redevelopment in the capital as councils weigh up the cost of rebuilding, objections from residents and environmental concerns.
Last year, GMB Union asked London mayor Sadiq Khan to prevent a second ballot on the regeneration of two estates in Camden after residents originally voted against the demolition plans.
In the wider built environment space, this summer housing secretary Michael Gove intervened to block Marks & Spencer from demolishing and rebuilding its flagship store at Marble Arch in London.
Haringey’s cabinet also backed a recommendation to remove two other smaller sites from its housing delivery programme. This included unused green space at Eade Road, near Manor House, and land at Muswell Hill Place, where there is planning permission to develop a three-bedroom home, according to the officer’s report.
Despite the changes and the the “multiple challenges” facing the construction sector, the report said that Haringey Council remains “on track” to deliver 3,000 homes at council rent by 2031.
The local authority currently has 2,113 council homes with planning permission across 51 sites. A further 2,027 homes have started on site on 41 sites, according to the planning officer’s report.
Last year, the council said it handed over 22 new homes across a range of new schemes.
This comes amid a wider renaissance in council housebuilding. Exclusive figures compiled by Inside Housing last month found that among 300 local authorities surveyed, 12,103 homes were completed in the 2022-23 financial year.
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