Highgate councillors have expressed disappointment at the decision by the planning inspector (part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) to allow the building of a house on the pocket park at the junction of Archway Road and Southwood Avenue N6. They have blamed years of mismanagement of the controversial site by Haringey Council, which has inevitably led to the partial loss of a green space on the busy road which was once an attractive ‘pocket park’.

The application will allow for one house on the site, with the retention of a small open green space. Local Lib Dem councillors and Group Leader Neil Williams has pledged to ensure that the remainder of the site is maintained sympathetically to ensure a green area for local residents.

Cllr Williams comments:

“I am disappointed that at the end of the day there has been a victory for a developer over a site that was once a small and well maintained public green space. While many residents will understandably be pleased to see the back of the problems caused since the property developer acquired the site, there has been a long history of failures by Haringey Council. It missed the opportunity to re-acquire the site from the Department of Transport when the Archway road-widening scheme was dropped, and it had never registered the land as an official open space.

“Haringey Council never acted firmly to protect trees on the site, or to prosecute the owner and secure replacements within the four-year period allowed when trees were felled, even though the Council’s own tree officer was a witness to the felling. Of greatest distress to local residents, the Council had never regularly used their powers to make the owner clear up the inevitable dumping. This all adds up to a sorry saga of failures going back many years.”

Cllr Bob Hare comments:

“Now the future of the site has at last been resolved, I will be pressing to ensure that the part of the site that has been designated a green space is maintained in a sympathetic way that will maximize benefit to local residents.

“In a very built up and busy route like the Archway Road, all the green spaces are a vital asset, and if managed properly would make the area more attractive for residents and businesses alike.”