Tottenham High Road, north London
Resources
Tottenham High Road historic corridor: conservation plans and written statements
Overview of the BURA Re:Invigorate Tottenham event, April 2007 Bruce Grove Heritage Townscape Initiative
Making Tottenham High Road a better place to shop and visit (LB Haringey)
The Strategy: making the High Road a better place to live (LB Haringey)
Bernie Grant Centre The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
The London borough of Haringey is often described as an outer London borough with inner city problems. Almost 40 per cent of Haringey’s population live in areas that are amongst the most deprived 10 per cent in England.
The borough is economically and socially polarised, a consequence of an extensive area of deprivation in the centre and the eastern part of the borough, with more affluent areas in the west. Tottenham is generally the poorest area of Haringey.
Another characteristic of Haringey is the transience of a significant proportion of the population, again largely concentrated in the areas of deprivation to the east. Also, a large proportion of minority ethnic communities are concentrated in those parts of the borough where the greatest concentrations of disadvantage are found. Therefore regeneration initiatives will be targeted at the centre and the east to narrow the gap between the east and the west of the borough.
Haringey is maximising the development opportunities presented by major brownfield sites and also those smaller sites, which can help regenerate local areas.
The Bernie Grant art centre opens Sep 2007
Development plans need finalising...
for the High Road's heritage buildings
Local companies created railings....
and lighting to open the area behind the Road
New parking spaces service the High Road
Community
Tottenham is a multicultural hotspot with many different ethnic groups inhabiting the area. The largest groups are the Afro-Caribbean, West African, Cypriot, Turkish, Irish populations.
After Brixton, Tottenham probably has the largest Jamaican population as a percentage in the United Kingdom.
Tottenham is also home to the largest Ghanaian population in the United Kingdom and the largest population of Ghanaians in Europe.
More investment is slowly being pumped into Tottenham. Certain areas were becoming run down and crime levels were rising and this is due to the fact that Haringey is classed as an outer London borough and so obtains less funding than the inner-city boroughs, although it has exactly the same socioeconomic problems. The recent development plans for London 2012 have also diverted Government finds away from Haringey.
LB Haringey strategy: making the High Road a better place to live
LB Haringey is engaged in a series of area-based regeneration projects, which focus on high roads. A central focus for this work is Tottenham High Road.
Key points
Tottenham High Road is the major artery leading to the city. It is the A10, the old roman road. In 2001-2 work began on the High Road Strategy with the aim of developing a plan to change and improve it.
The High Road has been in a state of decline with ad hoc development, small marginal shops reflecting whichever new community is settling in the area. Much of the housing is of the worst quality – private sector rooms, multiple occupation, private landlords becoming wealthy on other peoples’ poverty. Tottenham is a gateway for new communities, with a high level of private sector housing (66 per cent of housing in the borough private sector). It has therefore been targeted for buy to let and temporary accommodation.
Our aspiration is to create an environment where people stay, live in decent homes and enjoy the diversity of Tottenham whilst developing their skills and opportunities and contribute to the economy. The strength of Tottenham is that it is welcoming and able to accommodate such diversity. The High Road epitomises this.
According to an original study the High Road has, for example, the highest ratio of hairdressers the consultants had ever seen. Each local community prefers it own hairdresser and food stores.
On the other hand, the study identified a High Road of great possibility and opportunity. It is an historic corridor, with many important local buildings and has been of keen interest to English Heritage. It also has Spurs Football Club at one end and, at the other, a key gateway site that has been ‘empty’, aside from a Tesco and local shops, for 40 years. This site is known as Wards Corner by Seven Sisters tube station.
The study recognised the need to take a strategic approach that effectively divided the High Road into zones – business/enterprise and residential - and focused on developing the key sites within the two miles. This strategy recognises the importance of a balanced housing mix, and of the need to shift away from temporary private letting which fuels transience, towards decent homes. Shared ownership housing initiatives and attracting key sector workers who are more economically independent and who want to live in a lively inner city area is critical.
Scotland Green is just off the High Road
New development at Scotland Green
Scotland Green has community heritage
Bruce Grove has been renovated...
..with a Townscape Heritage Grant from HLF
The new facades make a real difference
Funding for improvement
This strategic review confirmed and legitimated much of what we knew. Parallel to this we submitted a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Bruce Grove Townscape Heritage Initiative. The renovation of the new Bernie Grant Centre for the Performing Arts will complete this summer and is due to open in September 2007.
Neighbourhood Service have secured funding from the European Regional Development Fundto, amongst other things, develop a new business building in the centre of Bruce Grove where there is a small and lively market. This funding will develop a derelict council site, create a civic space and we believe really drive the regeneration of this heart of the High Road.
The Townscape Heritage Initiative complements this, and will fund the restoration of five historic blocks in the immediate vicinity which have been sorely neglected over many years and which have very extremely poor housing above the shops. The funding we have assembled will restore the facades, enable a comprehensive shop front scheme which is in an agreed historic style, and which - through arrangements with housing associations - will refurbish the residential areas and provide decent homes people need.
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/community_and_leisure/neighbourhoods/hi...
Background
In 2002 Haringey Council commissioned ATIS REAL Weatheralls to develop a Strategy for the economic regeneration of Tottenham High Road. The consultants performed a series of studies and consulted with all key stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive baseline review was produced.
In the Strategy the consultants gave their recommendations for implementation to bring about the regeneration of the High Road. This strategy was adopted by the Council in October 2002. The Tottenham High Road Regeneration Strategy (2002) encompasses the entire length of the High Road. It links the borough boundary with Enfield to the north and Hackney to the south, and incorporates Northumberland Park, Bruce Grove and Seven Sisters.
The Strategy area is shown on the map. Tottenham High Road and the buildings, shopping centres and open spaces along it will be
improved as an historic North/South corridor.
Meeting the needs of the community
The Strategy sets out the objectives, as follows:
- To provide a choice of housing that meets the needs of all in the community, and promotes a sustainable and socially mixed community
- To identify key strategic sites as a catalyst for new investment utilising the High Road’s excellent public transport links to Central London
- The core centres at Seven Sisters, Bruce Grove and Northumberland Park to be the focus for new development and integrated with neighbouring regeneration initiatives
- Maintaining and maximizing the opportunities presented by the High Road’s historic built environment where possible
- Preserving and developing new publicly accessible open spaces, and undertake environmental improvements
- To work in partnership with the key stakeholders
Realising the vision of improving Tottenham High Road
The Strategy makes specific recommendations to realise this vision, which are summarised as follows;
- Identification of sites for potential redevelopment at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, Ward’s Corner/Apex House, Tottenham Baths /Clyde Road Depot and the Blue School (Scotland Green), which will act as a catalyst for regeneration.
- Physical and environmental improvements including identifying 'problem sites' and other sites, which would benefit from development and feasibility studies.
- Marketing and promotional projects such as creating a logo and uniform street furniture to create an identity for the road.
- Development of the Tottenham Town Centre Partnership to work with businesses, landowners, College of North East London, Transport for London, Arriva Buses, Metropolitan Police, Housing Associations, London Development Agency and other key stakeholders.
Tottenham High Road regeneration corridor
In order to promote regeneration, proposals for development along Tottenham High Road will be permitted where the following can be demonstrated:
- that it is sustainable and will positively contribute to the regeneration of the High Road.
- that it will involve no significant adverse impact on neighbouring residential amenity, and provides a safe and secure environment that combats crime and the fear of
- crime.
- it will not result in any loss of public open space
- it will not significantly increase the vehicular traffic flow on the High Road
- it will not detract from the vitality and viability of the town centres, which should be the focal point for new travel intensive uses
- that new housing should promote a more balanced, mixed, sustainable and less transient community
- the proportion of affordable housing should not exceed 50 per cent, the majority of which should be for intermediate forms of housing (shared ownership, key worker and sub market schemes)
- change of use to residential will be encouraged outside the defined retail centres, subject to other policies in plan.
Tottenham High Road background
The area has severe environmental, economic and social problems and is in need of regeneration. The core town centres along the road are at Seven Sisters, Bruce Grove and Northumberland Park where new intensive development should be focused. Major sites for potential redevelopment will act as catalysts for prime regeneration
of the High Road and include:
- Tottenham Hotspur Football Club – to support the expansion and redevelopment of the football club
- Seven Sisters underground station (Wards Corner) – to redevelop as a landmark mixed use development
- the former Tottenham Baths and Clyde Road Depot – to redevelop for a mixed use development; and
- Scotland Green – to retain and repair the building for retail and residential uses
Planning briefs have been drawn up for Seven Sisters (Wards Corner) and the former Baths and Depot sites which specify the mix, quantity and quality of uses.
