London Borough of Haringey Potential Tall Buildings Locations Validations Study SLR Ref: 403-05618-00001 Version No: Final Draft November 2015 Version Haringey Council i SLR Project Ref No: 403-05618-00001 London Borough of Haringey Potential Tall Buildings Locations Validations Study November 2015 CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Scope of This Report ........................................................................................ 3 1.2 Summary of Work Undertaken to Date ............................................................ 4 2.0 KEY PRINCIPLES GUIDING THE POTENTIAL LOCATION OF TALL BUILDINGS ... 6 2.1 Place-making ..................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Character ........................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Views ................................................................................................................. 7 2.4 Policy Background and Literature Review ...................................................... 8 3.0 BOROUGH-WIDE LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL CONTEXT ....................................... 15 3.1 Baseline Landscape and Visual Context ....................................................... 15 3.2 Initial Assessment of Local Landscape Character ....................................... 20 3.3 Initial Assessment of Views ........................................................................... 21 3.4 Initial Appraisal of Potential Tall Building Locations ................................... 24 4.0 WOOD GREEN AND HEARTLANDS ........................................................................ 26 4.1 Opportunities and Constraints ...................................................................... 27 5.0 TOTTENHAM HALE .................................................................................................. 30 5.1 Opportunities and Constraints ...................................................................... 31 6.0 NORTH TOTTENHAM / NORTHUMBERLAND PARK .............................................. 34 6.1 Opportunities and Constraints ...................................................................... 35 7.0 SEVEN SISTERS ....................................................................................................... 37 7.1 Opportunities and Constraints ...................................................................... 37 8.0 FINSBURY PARK ...................................................................................................... 40 8.1 Opportunities and Constraints ...................................................................... 41 9.0 CLOSURE .................................................................................................................. 43 TABLES Table 2-1 Haringey Council’s Local Plan: Strategic Policies (alterations 2015) ........... 11 Table 2-2 Haringey Council’s DMP: Preferred Option 2015 ........................................... 13 Table 4-1 Wood Green and Heartlands: Summary of Initial Findings ........................... 26 Table 5-1 Tottenham Hale: Summary of Initial Findings ................................................ 30 Table 6-1 North Tottenham / Northumberland Park: Summary of Initial Findings ....... 34 Table 7-1 Seven Sisters: Summary of Initial Findings .................................................... 37 Table 8-1 Finsbury Park: Summary of Initial Findings ................................................... 40 FIGURES Figure 1 Key Principles Guiding the Potential Location of Tall Buildings ...................... 6 SLR Haringey Council ii SLR Project Ref No: 403-05618-00001 London Borough of Haringey Potential Tall Buildings Locations Validations Study November 2015 DRAWINGS Drawing 1 Potential Tall Buildings Locations SLR Haringey Council 3 SLR Project Ref No: 403-05618-00001 London Borough of Haringey Potential Tall Buildings Locations Validations Study November 2015 1.0 INTRODUCTION SLR Consulting Ltd (SLR) has been instructed by Haringey Council to assist with the validation of potential locations for tall buildings within the borough. The main purpose of this work is to assess the locations already established by the Council and determine the types of design/policy limitations that may be appropriate in terms of place-making, townscape and landscape, and views. It is the intention that this work forms part of the evidence base for Haringey’s emerging Development Plan. SLR is a multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy and registered practice with the Landscape Institute. The landscape workload is wide-ranging and includes large-scale development and nationally significant infrastructure projects. 1.1 Scope of This Report This report is a validation study only and sets out the work completed by SLR to date and the key principles guiding the potential location of tall buildings in Haringey. It builds on the principles set out in Haringey Council’s Urban Characterisation Study, February 2015 (UCS), with a specific emphasis on the most suitable locations for tall buildings within the borough. Included in this initial report is a map (Drawing - SLR 1) indicating the general locations with the potential suitability for tall building(s), considered as part of this study. This study focuses on the Growth Areas identified by Haringey Council at Wood Green / Heartlands, Tottenham Hale and North Tottenham / Northumberland Park (as defined in The Local Plan and UCS) and also additional potential locations for tall buildings at Seven Sisters and to the south of Finsbury Park. SLR has not made design judgements about existing permitted or proposed developments or advised on the detailed design of any of the potential development areas, as part of this work. All work is instead landscape-based, focusing on the appropriate height and massing of the Growth Areas / potential locations for tall buildings. Similarly, this study does not attempt to consider other environmental topics that would be the subject of any subsequent planning application(s), such as microclimate, setting of cultural heritage assets or overall residential amenity. Further guidance will be provided in the proposed tall buildings SPD for Haringey. It is anticipated that further detailed work will include assessment of individual site / development specific proposals, 3d modelling and visualisations, assessment of potential landscape and visual effects and mitigation options. Such work will form part of a broader process of re-iteration, informing the production of design codes for specific areas, including amongst other issues the provision of public realm. Design opportunities should seek to develop specific responses to context, creating accent and focal points, stepped profiles and clusters, as appropriate. The mass, height and arrangements of any new tall buildings should be configured carefully in order to respect the character of the townscape and landscape context. This can only be SLR Haringey Council 4 SLR Project Ref No: 403-05618-00001 London Borough of Haringey Potential Tall Buildings Locations Validations Study November 2015 achieved if an assessment of townscape character in the locality of the development proposed and views to and from it are undertaken. This report includes a section covering the unimplemented development known at the time of preparation; however this is recognised as a dynamic situation and may be subject to change as new proposals are brought forward, applications submitted and/or determined. The study also principally focuses on development within the London Borough of Haringey; however, it is recognised that other development in the surrounding boroughs may also be visible from certain locations and may therefore affect the landscape and visual context for any potential tall buildings. Detailed appraisals of such development would be expected to be undertaken as part of a landscape and visual impact assessment that may accompany a planning application and environmental statement. 1.2 Summary of Work Undertaken to Date 1.2.1 Literature Review Key publications which have been reviewed and provide the guiding principles and criteria for this project are briefly described below. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in 2012 sets out the Government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. At its heart is a presumption in favour of sustainable development. There are several landscape and visual related matters set out in this document. The London Plan (the spatial development strategy for London consolidated with alterations since 2011), published by the Greater London Authority in March 2015 provides a useful framework for considering the appropriate location and design of tall buildings (Policy 7.7). Haringey Council’s planning policies include a number of development plan documents, guidance documents and strategies relating to potential tall buildings within the Borough: • the Local Development Framework (LDF) guides future growth and development in Haringey. The only current adopted Development Plan Document (DPD) in this portfolio is the Local Plan: Strategic Policies 2013 . This document is used in conjunction with the London Plan 2015, and Saved UDP Policies to make up Haringey's current development plan. Chapter 2 sets out Haringey’s Spatial Strategy and describes how “Tall buildings may be appropriate