Stroud Green Lib Dem Cllr Laura Edge has expressed renewed concern overplans to build a concrete factory in Cranford Way, N8 following a visit to asimilar plant in Wembley.

Last Saturday, Cllr Edge accompanied members ofthe Planning Applications Sub-Committee and a representative of Green N8,the community group established to oppose the plans, on a tour of a concretebatching plant in Wembley run by the N8 applicant, London Concrete.

Following the visit, Cllr Edge expressed concern about the size of theproposed plant in Cranford Way stating:

“Seeing a “real life” plant helped put the Cranford Way proposals inperspective. I was taken aback by the sheer size of the proposed plant,which will stand 17 metres at its highest point. Our site is also onslightly raised land, and would tower above the existing warehouse buildingson the industrial estate.

“The applicants have argued that these buildings will provide protection forUplands Road residents from the noise and visual impacts of the plant butthis clearly won’t be the case. That is not even to mention the impact onChettle Court, which looks straight down onto the proposed site.”

Cllr Edge is urging the Planning Applications Sub-Committee to make afurther visit to Cranford Way to talk to local residents about the impact ofthe proposed development. She is particularly concerned that councillorsshould be made fully aware of the traffic impacts of the proposed scheme:

“Under the current proposals we would see an additional 56 lorry movements aday, including three to four cement tankers, which are essentially the samesize as petrol tankers. Each one of these lorries will be forced to take aleft turn onto Tottenham Lane owing to the one-way system and from thereeither continue down Tottenham Lane or turn sharp right into Church Lane.

“Whilst I fully support moving freight from road to rail, the question is’at what price?’ I do not believe that these narrow, predominantlyresidential streets, which are used daily by children attending the manylocal schools and youth facilities, should be forced to bear the brunt ofthe drive to remove freight from the wider London road network. There mustbe more suitable sites where railheads are situated closer to the main roadnetwork.

“The impact of increased lorry movements is of particular concern in thelight of the admission obtained by Lib Dem Crouch End Cllr Dave Winskillfrom the Director of London Concrete, Derek Casey, at the Development Forumin September. He admitted that the plant would have the capacity to servetwice the number of lorries proposed in the current application.”

Cllrs Edge and Winskill have therefore welcomed a commitment received fromHaringey Council that the Transportation Team looking into the transportimplications of the proposals will take this point into consideration.