South Tottenham Industrial Estate“Haringey in Microcosm”

“Fountayne Road / Markfield Road, N17 – A fragmented cluster of industrial buildings which

(with the exception of Fountayne Business Centre) is older stock, some dating to the turn of

the last century. The vast majority of the area is fully occupied but much of the stock is

unsuitable for the modern business environment”(North London Employment Land Study commissioned by the LDA & NLSA by Halcrow, May 2006)

Introduction

• Project aims

• Site contextualisation:

- Brief history of South Tottenham

- Socio-economic parameters

- Policy context: national to local

- South Tottenham Industrial Estate today

• Results of preliminary site investigations• Results of preliminary site investigations

• Conclusion

South Tottenham Industrial Estate Project Aims

• Assessing the level of industrial/employment activity on the estate

• Reviewing the level of industrial activity and how this has changed in recent years

• Researching the main employers/businesses on site

• Establishing the level of occupancy on the estate

• Evaluating the physical condition of the buildings and the overall environment

• Forming a clearer picture of the appropriate form of employment designation for the site

• Site also known as DEA14

• Located between Tottenham Hale and

Seven Sisters Tube stations

• Retail Park situated to the north of DEA14

• DEA14 criss-crossed by West Anglia and

London Overground train lines

• Good Ptal rating

• Residential streets and blocks reflect the

heterogeneity of Haringey

• To the west of DEA14 lies DEA22.

The River Lea Navigation lies to the east

South Tottenham Industrial

Estate Now

• The River Lea Navigation lies to the east

and the south of the site

• Scope for a ‘green corridor’ connecting

Broad Lane with the River Lea via access

from Markfield Road

Residential

Tottenham Hale Retail Park

Industrial

Live-work

Public buildings

Tottenham Hale Station

Figure Ground Analysis Permeability Analysis

Site contextualision

• Brief history of the site: - Local industry on the site since the early 20th century

• Local socio-economic conditions:

- Key trends

• Policy context:

- Tottenham Hale Masterplan 2006

- Strategic Employment Location: DEA status- Strategic Employment Location: DEA status

- Opportunity Area

- Tottenham Gyratory

- London-Stanstead-Cambridge-Peterborough (LSCP) growth corridor

• Crucial factor in the sudden growth of the Eastern part

of Tottenham is the arrival of the GER running from

Liverpool Street to Enfield 1872.

• By the mid 1890s neither Tottenham Hale, West Green

or St Ann’s could be distinguished as separate hamlets –

building covered the area between the High Road and

the new GER line.

• Harris Lebus moves into the area 1900 with his

furniture workshops, reputedly the largest in the world

1894

Historical Context

furniture workshops, reputedly the largest in the world

at the time; providing significant local employment.

• Gestetner moves into Tottenham Hale 1906.

• Pockets of industry form around Tottenham Hale 1914.

• Deindustrialisation leads to large scale municipal

rebuilding from 1974.

Early

20th

Century

Ca. 1970s

Socio-economic condition:

Key trends

• According to ONS (composite) Index of Multiple

Deprivation Score 2007:

- Haringey is the 6th most deprived London Borough

- 18th most deprived out of 354 in England & Wales

• Deprivation in Haringey skewed towards the eastern

fringe:- With the exception of Haringey Heartlands in the centre

of the borough, deprived wards concentrated along the of the borough, deprived wards concentrated along the

Lea Valley Index of Multiple Deprivation in Haringey by Super Output Area 2007

• Central Leeside AAP report (2007) identifies two wards within AAP area with particularly acute levels of deprivation:

- Tottenham Hale and Northumberland Park

- Report identifies that ‘employment here is predominantly of the low wage, low skill sector and the changes that have taken place

and which are forecast to take place may exacerbate the problem’

• SMEs make up the majority of total business units in Haringey:

- Manufacturing continues to decline in the borough though may be a reflection of the relatively high level of remaining industry

- Banking, finance and insurance remain underrepresented

- ‘Other’ services and public sector activites are strongly represented

- Median weekly wages while higher than GB average, lower compared to the rest of London

- Rate of unemployment consistently higher than Greater London since 1996, though the gap has narrowed since the 1990s

Policy Context

• NATIONAL:

- Employment Land Reviews: Guidance Note (ODPM, Dec 2004)

- Draft PPS4: Planning and Sustainable Economic Dev (Dec 2007)

• REGIONAL:

- London Plan (Consolidated with Alterations since 2004)

- Industrial Capacity – Supplementary Planning Guidance (Mar 2008)- Industrial Capacity – Supplementary Planning Guidance (Mar 2008)

- Sub-Regional Development Framework: North London (2006)

- Central Leeside Joint Area Action Plan Report (2008)

• LOCAL:

- Haringey UDP (2006) & forthcoming LDF: Hierarchy of defined employment areas (DEAs)

- Supplementary Planning Documents: Tottenham Hale Centre Masterplan (2006)

Strengths

• Excellent transport connections:

- London-Stanstead-Cambridge-Peterborough (LSCP)

- Victoria Line; Tottenham Hale & Seven Sisters

- London Overground; South Tottenham

• Enhancement of streetscene with proposed new works:

- Transformation of Tottenham gyratory presents scope to improve

look of surrounding area.

- Proposed works offers opportunities for the re-branding of the

locale.

Weaknesses

• Prevalence of non-traditional uses on site:- Churches and places of worship

- Other unofficial uses on site, eg live/work units

• Uncertainty surrounding occupancy levels

• Many units in a dilapidated state

• Unkempt appearance

• Unplanned layout of the estate:- Heavy industry located adjacent to residential blocks

• Poor internal access within the site

Opportunities Threats

• Scope for land to be released for residential use:- Certain isolated plots already designated or converted to

residential use.

- Evidence to suggest that an already existing community of artists

and creative’s living on site.

- Official stance on the DEA14 remains ambiguous.

• Potential for intensification of industrial land elsewhere in

the Upper Lea Valley:- Central Leaside, located adjacent to wards of high deprivation

present opportunities to create jobs in areas of high unemployment.

- Occupancy rates in Central Leaside industrial locations, similar to

DEA14 remain uncertain. Scope for intensification to occur.

• Enhancement of Blue Ribbon Network and Biodiversity

Action Plan:- Improve connections along River Lea to Enfield to the north and

Hackney to the south

• Spiral of deprivation if area remains in current state:- Several wards within the surround are listed as among the top ten

percentile of most deprived wards in the UK.

- Within the UDP, several Areas of Opportunity identified in the

Seven Sisters locale.

• Further lack of investment in the area undermines current

regeneration efforts:- Poor planning may threaten viability of current large scale

residential development to the north of Tottenham Hale

- As mentioned above, several wards in the surround listed among

the top ten percentile of most deprived wards in the UK.

• Underdeveloped green infrastructure:- As part of the 2012 Olympic masterplan, a series of Lower Lea

Valley greenscapes are planned. How will residents of the Upper Lea

Valley benefit from proposed changes?

Markfield Road green corridor?

Conclusion: key findings

• There remains a significant amount of unofficial use on site:

- Places of worship

- The older industrial buildings on Fountayne Road seem to be favoured by creatives

- A limitation of the present study is that the scope of the research prevents a full survey of the site

- Thus, we were unable to establish an accurate picture of unoccupied units

- Official documents suggest that the level of occupancy on the estate is high (Atkins, 2009)

• Planning enforcement at Haringey are aware of premises that are not being used for employment purposes:-Premises on Fountayne Rd, Markfield Rd and Constable Crescent are being monitored

• The industrial buildings on site, with a few exceptions are in a dilapidated state

•• Potential for re-designation or re-zoning of DEA area:- A high level of pre-existing residential blocks already face Markfield Road

- Empirical evidence to suggest that a thriving population of creatives already living on site

- Housing targets as outlined in Haringey LDF & London Plan suggest a minimum annual figure of 680 units PA to 2016/17

• Scope for enhancement to existing Blue Ribbon Network and Biodiversity Action Plan