Billionaire withdraws Haringey PD application
Property billionaire Andreas Panayiotou has withdrawn his second attempt to convert an office in Haringey into a residential scheme of micro-flats.
London’s “buy-to-let king” pulled the revised plans for 171 flats at Alexandra House, N11, after more than 60 objections from councillors, the community and local MP Catherine West.
Panayiotou’s Ability Developments had planned for the bulk of flats at 26 sqm, significantly below the minimum size standards of 37 sqm, through controversial permitted development rights.
Property billionaire Andreas Panayiotou has withdrawn his second attempt to convert an office in Haringey into a residential scheme of micro-flats.
London’s “buy-to-let king” pulled the revised plans for 171 flats at Alexandra House, N11, after more than 60 objections from councillors, the community and local MP Catherine West.
Panayiotou’s Ability Developments had planned for the bulk of flats at 26 sqm, significantly below the minimum size standards of 37 sqm, through controversial permitted development rights.
This mechanism allows developers to bypass local authority planning teams, design standards and developer contributions, leading to homes that have been slammed as the “slums of the future”.
West said: “Living in such cramped conditions is detrimental to mental and physical wellbeing. Serious concerns about noise, access to daylight and disability highlighted in the first application have still not been adequately addressed.
“I fear that the developer’s desire to maximise profits is coming far ahead over the quality, size and standards of the proposed development.”
A joint objection from all three Woodside Ward councillors said that the revised mixed-use scheme did not qualify for residential conversion, and said attempts to address traffic were inadequate.
They said: “The proposed residential units are completely unacceptable and we are appalled that anyone could contemplate creating such poor quality accommodation.”
It comes a week after the government vowed to expand PDR to allow vacant commercial, industrial and even residential to be redeveloped as housing. The government’s long-anticipated planning white paper is expected to include further deregulation of the planning system, with new zoning measures to fast-track residential development.
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