Haringey Council’s planning committee last week approved the construction of a new water treatment plant, including four 15m-tall buildings, next to Alexandra Park and the New River. Serious objections to the proposals had been registered by local residents, who have expressed their frustration that such a large industrial facility is to be built so close to the park.

Residents supported by Hornsey Lib Dem councillor Robert Gorrie feel that little has been done to offset the impact that the buildings will have on the local environment. Vehicle access through New River Village is likely to impact badly on the area, and Councillor Gorrie argued that the Council had not demanded sufficiently detailed costing work on alternative designs and access routes to ensure this was the best design.

Applications for planning permission often depend upon the developer agreeing to pay a certain amount of money to the Council to offset the impact on the local environment – termed a Section 106 agreement. In this case, residents and Cllr. Gorrie have serious reservations about the amount of money that has been agreed upon – just £52,000, compared with the £45 million cost of the buildings themselves.

Councillor Gorrie comments: “The Council has not done enough to protect its residents from the impact of this new plant. Delivery and construction vehicles will have a big impact, yet no concrete commitment on the maximum number of deliveries was included in the final agreement of consent. A screen of trees has been agreed to limit the visual impact of the site, yet just £2000 provision has been made for this – enough for only around ten trees.

“We would have liked to see commitments on the maximum number of vehicles travelling to and from the plant, commitments to offset the loss of green space, commitments to work with residents to limit the inevitable negative impact of construction work. None were forthcoming.

“No one is arguing with the need for the treatment works and the logic for locating them on the Hornsey site is strong. What residents and I are concerned about is that Haringey Council has not done enough to ensure that the needs of residents and our environment come before, rather than after, the cost criteria of Thames Water.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds: “Alexandra Park is a treasure in the centre of our borough. I have deep concerns that not enough has been done to reduce the impact on it and the local residents. It has to be made sure that as much is done as possible to make the development as unobtrusive as possible.”