We are urging Haringey Council's planning subcommittee to reject an application to replace a huge chunk of the Chestnuts Park playing field with badly designed and possibly polluted flood basins.
Why is this important?
We need your support in objecting to the planning application HGY/2023/2099 for the installation of two retention basins in the playing field in Chestnuts Park, N15.
Friends of Chestnuts Park and Haringey Council initially won some money for a scheme to improve the park including measures to stop the playing field from flooding. However, when investigations revealed this wasn't possible the Council came up with a new plan to spend the money which doesn't even actually address water-logging in the park.
Instead, the current scheme proposes to drain water from local 'surface water drains' into a basin in the park. Even worse, an unknown number of household wastewater pipes are incorrectly connected to these drains. This means that household waste meant for sewage treatment will end up in the park.
The scheme will reduce the available green space in an area of the borough with the least green space per person, with very limited flood risk benefit to a small number of houses. More details of our objections can be read here on the council's planning site https://publicregister.haringey.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i8d000005U1n2AAC/hgy20232099?c__r=Arcus_BE_Public_Register&tabset-3892f=2
Thames Water have told us that though they can start this Spring it will take several years to fix most of the existing the misconnections. It's vital that the scheme does not get planning permission until the issue of misconnections has at least been investigated and the correction work begun, and a better scheme, that also addresses the flooding issues in the park, can be found.
We have three days to stop the playing field in Chestnuts Park being dug up and damaged, for a risky scheme which will bring water which is known to polluted and foul-smelling into the park. This scheme cannot be allowed to go ahead at this time in its current form and location
How it will be delivered
The planning committee meeting to grant permission is at 7pm on Monday 11 December at George Meehan House, High Rd, N22 8JZ. The Chairs of Friends of Chestnuts Park and Gardens Residents Association will speak at about 7.15pm for 3 minutes each. It would be great if as many of you as possible could join that meeting in person or online, and/or sign this petition to oppose the current scheme.
You can join the meeting online here: https://bit.ly/focp23
