Tottenham Hale Development Falls Short of Affordable Housing Targets

Haringey Council's Planning Sub Committee has been presented with proposals for the Ashley House and Cannon Factory sites in Tottenham Hale, aiming to deliver a significant number of new homes and accommodation. However, the plans fall short of the council's affordable housing targets.

The plans, discussed at a meeting on Monday, July 27, 2026, include a part 7, part 24-storey building with approximately 530 co-living studios and an 87-home affordable social rent block on the Ashley House site. The Cannon Factory site proposes a hotel with around 150 rooms and a part 10, part 25-storey building with approximately 500 Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) units.

While the development would deliver 87 affordable homes for social rent, representing 35% of the net internal area of the co-living block, this falls short of the Local Plan's target of 40% affordable housing. Council officers noted that the proposed level of affordable housing complies with the London Plan, which is the more recently adopted policy, but acknowledged the shortfall against local targets. The document states that The proposed level of affordable housing complies with London Plan but not Local Plan policy SP2 which targets 40% affordable housing by habitable room. However, the London Plan is the more recently adopted policy and therefore the proposed level of affordable housing is considered to be broadly acceptable at this stage. ¹

The proposals also include significant co-living and student accommodation. The draft Local Plan expresses caution about these types of housing, suggesting they should be an ancillary component of larger mixed-tenure developments. The council will assess the applicant's justification for the quantum of co-living accommodation by requiring statements that highlight the demand/need for this type of accommodation locally and its potential benefits. Additionally, the applicant needs to show how the proposals would not compromise the supply of land for conventional self-contained homes (use class C3) and demonstrate how the proposal could contribute positively to well-designed, mixed and inclusive neighbourhoods in accordance with London Plan policies H16 and H10(A).

Discussions also covered the design and massing of the buildings. The Quality Review Panel (QRP) provided feedback on the need for further refinement to better reflect the buildings' civic role and prominent high street location. Concerns were raised about the articulation of elevations, the character of the main entrance, and the need for greater solidity at ground level. For the Ashley House and Cannon Factory sites, the QRP advised further refinement of the affordable block design and the expression of the tower's base, middle and crown. They also recommended Further studies on how façades and building design can respond to overheating and daylight. The meeting information indicates that the applicant team have been subsequently developing the design of the proposals to address the above and comments from their public consultation exercise.