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4.11.04
Stroud Green Lib Dem Cllr Laura Edge has expressed renewed concern over
plans to build a concrete factory in Cranford Way, N8 following a visit to a
similar plant in Wembley.
Last Saturday, Cllr Edge accompanied members of
the Planning Applications Sub-Committee and a representative of Green N8,
the community group established to oppose the plans, on a tour of a concrete
batching plant in Wembley run by the N8 applicant, London Concrete.
Following the visit, Cllr Edge expressed concern about the size of the
proposed plant in Cranford Way stating:
"Seeing a "real life" plant helped put the Cranford Way proposals in
perspective. I was taken aback by the sheer size of the proposed plant,
which will stand 17 metres at its highest point. Our site is also on
slightly raised land, and would tower above the existing warehouse buildings
on the industrial estate.
"The applicants have argued that these buildings will provide protection for
Uplands Road residents from the noise and visual impacts of the plant but
this clearly won't be the case. That is not even to mention the impact on
Chettle Court, which looks straight down onto the proposed site."
Cllr Edge is urging the Planning Applications Sub-Committee to make a
further visit to Cranford Way to talk to local residents about the impact of
the proposed development. She is particularly concerned that councillors
should be made fully aware of the traffic impacts of the proposed scheme:
"Under the current proposals we would see an additional 56 lorry movements a
day, including three to four cement tankers, which are essentially the same
size as petrol tankers. Each one of these lorries will be forced to take a
left turn onto Tottenham Lane owing to the one-way system and from there
either continue down Tottenham Lane or turn sharp right into Church Lane.
"Whilst I fully support moving freight from road to rail, the question is
'at what price?' I do not believe that these narrow, predominantly
residential streets, which are used daily by children attending the many
local schools and youth facilities, should be forced to bear the brunt of
the drive to remove freight from the wider London road network. There must
be more suitable sites where railheads are situated closer to the main road
network.
"The impact of increased lorry movements is of particular concern in the
light of the admission obtained by Lib Dem Crouch End Cllr Dave Winskill
from the Director of London Concrete, Derek Casey, at the Development Forum
in September. He admitted that the plant would have the capacity to serve
twice the number of lorries proposed in the current application."
Cllrs Edge and Winskill have therefore welcomed a commitment received from
Haringey Council that the Transportation Team looking into the transport
implications of the proposals will take this point into consideration.
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