The Pinkham Way Alliance has won a major victory in its struggle to protect the woodland adjacent to the Pinkham Way section of the North Circular Road.
The Inspector's final report on Haringey's Local Plan is out and there's much for us to celebrate.
Thank you again for your support at the hearing last August, and in the consultation over New Year.
PINKHAM WAY REMOVED
Pinkham Way will be removed from Haringey's 'Site Allocations' - the Council admitted at the hearing that it wasn't needed for its employment strategy.
So, potential developers will no longer be able to argue that a development's benefit (i.e. its contribution to the borough's employment needs) outweighs the harm to nature conservation.
This is a very big win indeed for residents.
'EMPLOYMENT' DESIGNATION REMAINS...
We've long argued that this green site is environmentally valuable and should be protected, and that its current planning designation for 'employment' is wrong.
From her report, it's clear that the Inspector agrees. However, she didn't have the power to recommend removal of the employment designation. This is because the matters before her were 'modifications' to policies rather than the policies themselves.
Very significantly though, she makes extensive comment about Pinkham Way, citing its long period as vacant land, its conservation value, and the length of the PWA campaign to remove the employment designation.
She restates that a Planning Authority should not keep a employment designation where there's no reasonable prospect of development.
...BUT FOR HOW LONG?
It is our firm opinion, therefore, that had the Inspector been able to recommend the designation's removal, she would have. There now seems little chance it'll survive the next review of Haringey's Local plan.
NEXT STEPS
With the weight of this report behind us, we can concentrate on pushing for the removal of the site from the next version of the North London Waste Plan (NLWP), due towards the end of the year. As ever, please watch this space...
You can read our full summary of what the Inspector's report means for the future of Pinkham Way.
Stephen Brice
Chair
Pinkham Way Alliance
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