The Haringey Council Strategic Planning Committee met on 7 July to discuss planning reforms, development management, spatial planning and building control. The committee also reviewed the Haringey Authority Monitoring Report 2020-2024 and the Haringey Infrastructure Funding Statement 2023/24. The committee resolved to note both reports.

Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan

The committee convened to discuss the Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan.

Haringey Council is in the process of creating a new Local Plan, which will guide development in the borough for the next 15 years. The Local Plan will set out policies on a range of issues, including housing, employment, transport, and the environment. Once adopted, it will replace the existing Local Plan 2017.

The current stage is Regulation 18, which involves public consultation on the draft plan. The Appendix A Local Plan First Steps Engagement Consultation Report and Appendix D Comms Engagement Plan for Draft Local Plan outline the proposed approach to community engagement.

The Local Plan is scheduled to go to the Cabinet on 16 September, after which there will be a call-in period¹. Consultation materials are being prepared, with the aim of completing the consultation before Christmas. There will also be a consultation on the spending of neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) monies accrued.

Planning and Building Control Quarterly Update

Rob Krzyszowski introduced the Planning and Building Control 2024/25 Q4 Update report.

National Planning Reform and Development Management

The committee discussed the government's proposed planning reforms, noting that many of the suggested changes are already in place in Haringey. The government is consulting on a tiered system for planning applications (small, medium, and large), which differs from the current approach. The government will also publish guidance on local fee setting, ensuring it is based on cost recovery rather than profit. The importance of statutory consultees² such as Theatres Trust was noted.

A member suggested that there should be more accountability for individual councillors who repeatedly vote for politically motivated reasons.

The committee discussed strategic master planning and tenure diversity, with the aim of involving smaller and medium-sized house builders in the market. Breaking up large sites into smaller parcels for different developers could achieve this. However, concerns were raised about the potential impact on the delivery of affordable homes, as smaller builders may be less likely to provide the optimum number of affordable homes compared to larger developers.

The reforms are linked to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is expected to pass through Parliament and receive royal assent towards the end of the year or early next year, followed by secondary legislation.

Officers are asking for high standards of documentation from developers. The committee noted that planning has expanded into areas such as building fire safety, which used to be separate in building regulations, and questioned whether the balance is right.

The next step regarding the Planning Committee reforms is to discuss them with the Cabinet Member and gather officer and member views before deciding whether to issue a formal consultation response on behalf of the council.

Development Management and Planning Enforcement

Catherine Smyth introduced the Development Management and Planning Enforcement update.

The service was congratulated for receiving a Secure by Design award from the Metropolitan Police.

Increases in HMO referrals mainly came from colleagues in private sector housing and licensing, who identified HMOs without planning permission when processing licence applications. Officers were asked to provide data on retrospective planning applications for HMOs received over the last 3 years.

Officers have successfully removed five telephone boxes, with the project ongoing. More detailed information will be provided after the meeting.

Spatial Planning

Bryce Tudball, Head of Spatial Planning, introduced the Spatial Planning update.

The service was congratulated for receiving a national award for the digital Infrastructure Delivery Plan, and officers were asked to share detailed information about the awards.

There is no dedicated local plan budget, but officers have secured funding from various sources, enabling them to bring in an experienced planner for 18 months and are looking to recruit an additional assistant planner.

Building Control

Denis Ioannou introduced the Building Control update.

The vacancy rate in the building control structure is above 70%, impacting the team's ability to deliver services, including out-of-hours cover. An extensive recruitment campaign has been conducted to fill positions at various levels.

Building control is a specialist field, and becoming a registered building inspector requires specific interviews and exams.

The committee resolved to note the report.

Haringey Authority Monitoring Report 2020-2024

Bryce Tudball introduced the Haringey Authority Monitoring Report 2020-2024.

Each time the council's housing target is reset through the London Plan, the shortfall effectively disappears. Officers ensure that there is a sense check when the GLA sets new housing targets to ensure they are realistic and deliverable.

When the local plan is adopted, the areas where officers currently seek evidence on archaeology will be expanded. Officers were asked to provide more information on the Oxford Archaeology Report and a map of the areas.

Officers were asked to provide information on whether the chapel at Tottenham Cemetery is on the heritage buildings at risk register.

The retail vacancy rate reported for Tottenham Hale was 0%, but there are some vacant units, suggesting a need for a concerted effort to attract tenants. Officers were asked to provide more information regarding this data.

The committee resolved to note this report.

Haringey Infrastructure Funding Statement 2023/24

Bryce Tudball introduced the Haringey Infrastructure Funding Statement 2023/24.

There are two types of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) for spending purposes: strategic CIL, which supports the delivery and the capital programme, and neighbourhood CIL. The council's cabinet determines the spending of strategic CIL. Later this year, officers will consult on the spending of £1.7 million across nine areas in the borough for neighbourhood CIL. Officers will engage with ward members on priorities for spending this money in a collaborative process.

Officers are actively working with the council's highways department and the transport and travel service to spend the money. Some of it is general and can be spent on cycling improvements in the east of the borough, while some must be spent on specific projects. Some of the money is also used to fund traffic management orders related to car-free parking schemes.

There is no spending deadline for CIL, and officers have a regular quarterly reporting process to ensure it is spent as quickly as possible.

Some of the money for the Decentralised Energy Network (DEN) came through section 106 agreements[^4], but if the DEN is not delivered, it needs to be paid in some way through carbon offsetting or other means. The DEN Programme has been significantly reduced in the capital programme, so the money will need to be reallocated to something else through the capital programme during the next annual budget cycle.

There are two full-time officers who deal with the administration for CIL and section 106 agreements. They have a strong track record of bringing in money to the council on time. The team brought in a second officer about three years ago, whose key role is to ensure the council receives all required CIL. Officers have been proactive in identifying schemes that commenced without notification and instructing CIL payment, including surcharges and penalties, resulting in good income maximisation.

The committee resolved to note and agree to this report.