Public Meeting - Tuesday 17th Sep 2024 - Christ Church, Chalk Lane, Cockfosters EN4 9JQ
7 to 9 pm; Doors open at 6.45 for prompt start.

Planned residential high-rise redevelopment of Cockfosters Car Park.

The plans will need to be changed to comply with post-Grenfell safety codes. This might include measures (such as additional staircases) which will impact cost and planning approval.

Members of the Save Cockfosters campaign and local councillors will be available to provide an update, and to answer questions from those directly impacted.

We were featured on BBC London News on the evening of Sunday 8th September 2024:

Louise Haigh, the new Secretary of State for Transport has ALLOWED TfL's plans!

We discovered, on Tuesday 3rd September 2024, that TfL has been allowed to dispose of the park-and-ride facility and build tower blocks on the car park. The Save Cockfosters team quickly mobilised, and got a report on ITV London News that same evening:

"The new Labour government has given Transport for London (TfL) the green light to build hundreds of affordable homes near Cockfosters tube station, overriding a decision from the former Conservative transport secretary Grant Shapps to block the project.

Shapps controversially intervened to stop the proposals in March 2022, using obscure legal powers that require TfL to seek government permission to sell land used for its operational purposes.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced on Tuesday that Labour had approved the disposal of the land and the new development could proceed, three years after TfL first requested consent.

It means 350 new homes will be built at Cockfosters station car park on the northern end of the Picadilly Line. Some 40 per cent will be affordable, according to the Mayor’s office.

The project, spanning 1.36 hectares, also intends to develop commercial spaces in the local area, improve public access to the nearby Trent Park and London Outer Orbital Path and replace the hard surfaces of nearby open spaces with new trees and greenery.

“Building homes right next to public transport connections is a key part of our plans to deliver the high-quality homes Londoners need,” Khan said in a statement.

“This important project will deliver new commercial space, increase green space and, most importantly, it will provide the affordable housing that I have pledged to deliver for Londoners.”

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “I’m delighted to finally unblock this important project to kickstart the development of hundreds of much needed new homes in Enfield.

“This government is committed to getting Britain building and working with local leaders to boost regional growth.”

The move from Labour is yet another signal of its intention to press ahead with major infrastructure developments despite local opposition."

Article copied from City AM

Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport vetoed TfL's plans!

The previous programme was on Radio London on 23rd February 2022:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OStGrwPe9rWSkGIuuqJ1MiEQtzGQvG2c/view?usp=sharing

The CLARA / Save Cockfosters team's report on
Enfield's Planning Committee Meeting:

As many will probably know, the Planning Application for conversion of the Car Park at Cockfosters Station was approved by the Enfield Planning Committee on Thursday evening (3rd Feb 2022). The decision was passed on the casting vote of the Committee chair, Cllr Boztas, after the vote was tied 6-6 between Committee members.

This decision was at odds with key planning policies on Tall Buildings and Heritage, in particular. The Save Cockfosters Team, along with Councillors and others, were able to provide a wide range of substantial written and oral evidence for rejection of the Application. It is also our opinion that officers made a number of incorrect answers on points of detail and serially misdirected the Committee. 

The Save Cockfosters Team and CLARA, maintain the view that the development will potentially be very damaging to Cockfosters. The Planning Committee have, by their actions, shown a total disregard for users of the Park-and-Ride amenity as well as safety and equalities concerns for women, the aged and disabled. The potential adverse impacts on our local road and social infrastructure were, in effect, acknowledged but discounted.

We would again thank those who provided submissions to the consultation, who contributed to the small Save Cockfosters fighting fund and those who committed their time and energy to opposing this cynical application. The decision is profoundly disappointing to those of us who live in Cockfosters and value the environment of our ‘village’ and the surrounding park and Green Belt.

The Save Cockfosters Team is now considering any and all options as to whether this recommendation to grant approval could be overturned. It is clear that our options are limited, also they might be expensive and will require considerable effort;  but we do have a sizeable body of evidence as to why the Planning Committee’s decision should be set aside.

We shall update you further once we have more information. 

CLARA team