Plans for 351 new homes for rent next to Cockfosters Underground Station have been approved by Enfield Council's Planning Committee.

Connected Living London (CLL) - the formal partnership between Grainger plc and Transport for London (TfL) are set to build new rental homes, including 40 per cent affordable housing, commercial space, improvements to the public realm, and new operational space for TfL.

The new homes across four buildings will be a mixture of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom properties designed by Hawkins\Brown and Mae Architects.

The affordable homes will be provided at a discount to open market rates for rent.

All residents will benefit from a range of on-site amenities, such as the residents' lounge, gym and dedicated onsite Resident Services team.

Sustainability is a core focus throughout the plans and the developer intends to optimise building performance with respect to energy, carbon, water and waste. It will also include solar panels, wildlife-friendly landscaping, and will lead to more than 70 additional trees being planted across the development.

The designs also enhance public access to Trent Park and the London Outer Orbital Path and have been designed to provide around 4,200 sqm of publicly accessible open space for both the local community and residents, with the new trees and greenery replacing much of the current hard surface.

The development encourages sustainable transport through excellent public transport connections, such as the Piccadilly line and the multiple bus routes that serve the Grade II listed Cockfosters Tube station, which became the 80th London Underground station to become step-free in October 2020. A new cycle hub with 60 spaces for the local community, as well as improvements to the existing cycle access and pavements, will also encourage walking and cycling. The scheme has also been designed to deliver a new dedicated pick-up/drop-off area, comprised of seven short stay parking spaces, and to re-provide 47 publicly accessible car parking spaces including 12 blue badge parking spaces to support the local area.

The new homes have been designed to be effectively car-free, with the exception of blue badge parking for residents and a car club space. This will help to improve air quality in London in line with the Mayor's Transport Strategy.

Ben Tate, a spokesperson for CLL and Head of Property Development at TfL, commented: "We're really pleased to have been given the go-ahead for our proposed development by Cockfosters Tube station, building on the success of our CLL schemes in Southall, Nine Elms and north Lambeth.

"This scheme has been designed to provide not only the new and affordable homes that are urgently needed in the borough and across London, but also create new areas of open space and play space that can be enjoyed by the local community and residents alike and re-provide car parking facilities to support the local area. It will contribute around £4.5 million to help improve local infrastructure and services."

Mike Keaveney, Director of Land and Development at Grainger plc, added: "This is another great milestone for our CLL joint venture, and one that will deliver a significant number of professionally managed, well located, quality homes for the local area. We look forward to progressing this development and delivering a scheme that not only benefits our residents, but the wider community too."

Adrian Day, on behalf of Better Streets for Enfield, commented: "We are pleased that the development by Cockfosters Tube station has been approved. Reducing the amount of space devoted to car parking encourages active travel and use of public transport, which is vital for climate change goals, and building here means less Green Belt land is needed for housing."

The development will provide around 130 jobs over the course of construction, helping to support the local vibrant economy and high street, along with the creation of a new commercial space. The households in the new homes delivered as part of the proposed development will also generate approximately £5.3 million per year in additional spending, a proportion of which would be captured by local business and services.

The development at Cockfosters is the fourth of CLL's schemes to be given the go-ahead at planning committee. It follows successful outcomes for its applications in September 2020 to deliver 460 new rental homes in Southall, in December 2020 to deliver 139 new rental homes in north Lambeth and in April 2021 to deliver 479 new rental homes above and around the new Nine Elms Tube station in Lambeth. Collectively, these four schemes will deliver more than 1,400 new rental homes across the city, with each scheme individually delivering 40 per cent affordable housing, alongside industrial and commercial workspace and improvements for the local community.

Enfield Council planning application ref. no. 21/02517/FUL.
The plans were submitted in June 2021.
The committee meeting took place on Thursday, 3rd February, 2022 7.00 pm.