Forum topic: North Circ housing developments - an interesting discussion

There's a discussion thread that's been running on Bowes & Bounds Connected for the last week or so, kicked off by Councillor Alan Sitkin (Labour, Bowes Ward), and relating to development of the Notting Hill Housing Trust-owned property along Bowes Road. It strays somewhat into party political accusations and counter-accusations territory, but Richard McKeever's interventions stopped it rapidly degenerating into a name-calling session. At times the discussion generates more heat than light, but (for me at least, having moved to the area fairly recently) it makes interesting reading.

The themes discussed include:

• how and to what degree Enfield Council are able to influence Notting Hill's plans for building flats on their property
• the relationship between different planning documents - the London Plan (a GLA document?), Enfield Council's Core Strategy and its North Circular Area Action Plan
• the desire of the current Enfield administration for new housing to be distributed around the borough, including leafier areas, contrasted with City Hall's preference for building it near the polluted North Circular
• Notting Hill's willingness to build social amenities on the site of the present Ritz Parade
• arrangements for public consultation about these amenities and the mix of commercial and retail premises on the Ritz Parade site;
• whether or not there should be wholesale redevelopment of the site, including for example demolition of the former Ritz cinema (now Kingdom Hall)
• how to successfully oppose the construction of a new McDonalds Drive Thru at 188 Bowes Road.