This meeting will include consideration of two potential sites for new council homes as part of Haringey Council’s flagship housebuilding programme. The meeting will also cover how Haringey Council manages filming at council meetings.

Site Authorisation to Deliver Council Housing

Two sites will be considered for potential inclusion in Haringey’s Council House Delivery Programme: Brunswick Road Car Park in the Seven Sisters ward, and Hale Road in the Tottenham Hale ward.

The first site, currently used as a car park, would see the construction of between six and ten new homes. The second site comprises a row of eleven terraced houses, seven of which are already owned by the council and used to provide temporary accommodation. The council will consider a proposal to build between 30 and 60 new homes on the site.

The report notes that the council has a target to build 3,000 new council homes by 2031 in response to the national housing crisis which it says:

…has left thousands of households in Haringey in need of a genuinely affordable home.

In the report, the council claims to have built 696 new homes by December 2024, around two thirds of them during 2024. The report goes on to say the council has:

…an ambitious council home building programme that will deliver 3,000 new homes by 2031.

The report sets out the council’s intention to consult with residents living near the proposed developments. This consultation will cover the principle of building on the sites, as well as giving residents an opportunity to give feedback on the design proposals. The report notes that the council is obliged to consult with residents under Section 105 of the Housing Act 1985, and commits to bringing the results of that consultation back to Cabinet.

It also describes the council’s process for making a final decision about whether or not to build on the site, which will involve further reports to Cabinet on the viability of the proposals and, if the proposals are deemed viable, a full planning application to be considered by the council’s Local Planning Authority.

The report notes that:

No decision will be taken to build on either of these sites until they are deemed viable, and the necessary statutory consultations have been carried out.

Filming at Meetings

The meeting will consider a report on the council’s policy for filming at public meetings. The report notes that the meeting may be filmed by Haringey Council staff:

…for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site…

and that it may also be filmed or recorded by members of the public.

The report confirms that while the council asks members of the public not to film the public seating areas of the meeting room, it cannot guarantee that this will not happen.

The report confirms that anyone attending a council meeting consents to being filmed or recorded, and that the images may be used by the council. It goes on to say that:

The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.