Haringey Council is facing increased costs for essential electrical work on the Broadwater Farm Estate due to unforeseen issues, including illegally parked vehicles and an underground river.
The contract with UK Power Networks (UKPN) has been extended by £248,132, bringing the total contract value to £615,489.95. Councillor Ruth Gordon, Cabinet Member for Placemaking, and Local Economy, approved the extension at a meeting on Wednesday 13 August 2025.
The additional funds are required to cover four variations related to the diversion of high and low voltage cables on the estate. These diversions are necessary to decommission the electrical substation at Tangmere, making way for the demolition of the block and the construction of 139 new homes and 7 enterprise units, scheduled to commence in March 2026. The provision of three- and four-bedroom homes will help address the need for larger affordable homes.
The works to decommission the substation in Tangmere and to energise the new substation at Rochford, will enable the Tangmere block to be demolished, and the site can then be handed over for the New Homes Programme. The decommissioning of the Tangmere substation and the construction of new homes contribute to the 'Responding to the Climate Emergency' theme in the Corporate Delivery Plan (CDP). The ambition is for a Low Carbon Place by achieving net zero emissions on the new homes program on Broadwater Farm. It will also support Haringey's Climate Change Action Plan – which sets out how and why the borough will become net zero carbon by 2041.
The original contract, awarded on 14 June 2024 for £367,378.95, faced several setbacks. According to the Public Reports Pack, these included delays caused by illegally parked vehicles, the need to divert trenching and cabling to accommodate the underground river on the estate, further extensions due to subsidence affecting properties on Gloucester Road, and additional costs incurred due to road closures, bus route diversions, and the reinstatement and re-excavation of joint holes for both low- and high-voltage cabling.
The council report also noted lessons learned from the project. The Project Team must try to identify all possible variations prior to commencing complex projects, as this will avoid unnecessary delays which in turn could result in uncontrolled costs as allowed under Contract Standing Order 2.05.1.
Despite the increased costs, the council highlights the importance of the project in enabling the demolition of the Tangmere block and the construction of new homes. The Broadwater Farm improvement programme has a total of 302 new homes, public realm improvements, refurbished homes, improved service delivery, embedded coproduction approach, 250 homes demolished will help to deliver the placemaking ambitions of the BWF community. The program will support social value and placemaking in a key regeneration area (Broadwater Farm) under the CDP theme 'Place and Economy'. The Social Value commitments made by contractors will deliver measurable and impactful training, employment, and social opportunities.
