How the Fox development would look from Green Lanes - an artist's impression from the planning applicationAhead of consideration by the Enfield Planning Committee of the planning application for redevelopment of the Fox pub, which is expected soon, an objection has been submitted by Talkies Community Cinema. The grounds are that the proposed replacement of the function room by a smaller "flexible space" would jeopardise the Fox's status as a registered Asset of Community Value.
Talkies has contacted its audience members with advice on how to use an Enfield Connected account to submit objections online (see below). Though Talkies has commented only on the function room, there are other aspects of the redevelopment plans that are controversial - for instance, the number of new flats which the developers plan to build over the area occupied by the car park or the appearance of the proposed new buildings.
The Fox was registered as an Asset of Community Value in June 2015 - the first such registration in Enfield. While this alone would not prevent its eventual conversion to retail (as happened with the Green Dragon) or even its demolition, it is a factor that the Planning Committee will have to take into account. Key to the success of the application was the function room because of the various community activities that are carried out in it. An inadequate replacement would thus jeopardise the pub's continuing community value.
FOX REDEVELOPMENT PLANNING APPLICATION - A MESSAGE FROM TALKIES COMMUNITY CINEMA TO ITS AUDIENCE MEMBERS
The planning application for the Fox development will go in front of planning committee soon.
Talkies have been involved in discussions throughout the planning stage, but we conclude that the space planned to replace the current function room will be much more constrained and there is no guarantee that it will be affordable for the community it aims to serve.
Other community groups have raised concerns about other aspects of the development.
We have prepared a help sheet about how you can respond and let your views be known. We hope it is helpful.
RESPONDING TO THE FOX PLANNING APPLICATION
Log in to, or register, your Enfield Connected account.
https://auth.enfield.gov.uk/identity/account/login
the page will look like this:
Then go to the Fox application - link https://goo.gl/EMztrQ
You can respond as an individual, amenity group etc.
Check whichever box you are responding to and add your comment:
WHAT IS TALKIES RESPONSE?
The Fox is registered as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ (ACV). The developers say this about the ACV:
a) Retaining an Asset of Community Value
3.2 Following the successful listing of The Fox Pub as an Asset of Community Value, the retention and refurbishment of the building and community use have been prioritised in the planning balance over other development and planning policy considerations. Therefore, any development of The Fox Pub will not be able to avoid the significant additional costs and development constraints associated with refurbishing this locally important heritage building, and the provision of an improved function room or FFR for on-going community use in accordance with its ACV status.
3.3 If the building was not retained, the associated cost savings/reductions and removal of the development constraints would enable more value to be created, which in turn could then be used to fund additional onsite affordable housing.
3.4 Furthermore, whilst it is a positive local facility, the retention of the pub use (A4) is itself not the most commercially viable use compared to other land uses (e.g. more commercial A1, A2, A3, A5 on the ground floor), therefore the viability of the overall development is reduced both by the retention of the existing Fox building and by the retention of the pub use.
Seems a bit mealy mouthed about keeping the building and addressing the ACV – given an open book perhaps developers would prefer to knock it down and build something with better commercial value!
At Talkies we have limited our response to the loss of the current function room, to be replaced by a smaller flexible space adjoined to the pub. The current room can take up to 200 chairs but because Talkies needs to have a gap between audience and screen our largest number has been 135. The plans for the development show 140 seats, but they are crammed in and do not allow for a gap between the screen and the audience. If used for another performance event a stage would be needed and so similarly the numbers shown could not be accommodated. We also believe the space is too small for Music events, comedy club and private functions.
We are especially concerned that there is no undertaking by the developers to provide a lettings rate which would be affordable for not-for-profit community events such as Talkies. So should they wish, they can levy a fee that is too high to make our events financially unviable and just use the space as an extension of the pub. We recommend that conditions are attached to any planning approval which require an agreed number of community events at an agreed rate over the course of any year.
RESPONSE SUBMITTED TO PLANNING APPLICATION FOR THE FOX, N13, FROM TALKIES COMMUNITY CINEMA
The overall view of Talkies Community Cinema is that the Asset of Community Value (ACV) is significantly and adversely affected by the proposals and could indeed be completely lost to the community.
The reduced size and new configuration of the function space mean that a facility that has been used for Talkies, music and the Comedy club as well as private functions will in future be reduced in size and functionality. The proposals show 145 chairs in the space. In reality when circulation space is included and, for film viewing, a suitable distance from the screen is made, the audience size would reduce to 80. This compares with a maximum for general use in the current space of 160 and for Talkies 135. Given that there will be a smaller audience if the plans are approved and that there is no guarantee that the space will be affordable for Talkies or similar groups, we have to conclude that the response to the ACV status is not yet satisfactory. We also have major concerns that once the development is complete there is no guarantee that the proposed function space will be used for community activities at an affordable rate. The developers have not yet outlined a specific undertaking to assure such use.
Should the planning approval be approved we believe there should be conditions attached to the approval which:
- secure use for a minimum of 20 days per annum at a rate affordable to Enfieldbased 'not for profit' organisations for events - we assess this as £25 per hour
- ensure that the acoustic insulation should be of a high specification to ensure that sound will not transmit between bar and function room.
You might be more interested in a wider range of responses. We hope this guidance is useful to you.
Links
Responding to the Fox development (Talkies news item)
Fox redevelopment: Planning application submitted (Palmers Green Community 13 September 2017)
Fox registered as an asset of community value (Palmers Green Community 2 June 2015)
