Cockfosters – plans for hundreds of rental homes given green light

Plans to build hundreds of new rental homes next to Cockfosters tube station have been given the go-ahead by Enfield Council, subject to conditions.

The scheme is the brainchild of Connected Living London (CLL), the formal partnership between Grainger plc and Transport for London (TfL).

The 1.36 hectare development is set to deliver 351 new rental homes, including 40% affordable housing, commercial space, improvements to the public realm, and new operational space for TfL.

Under the plans, the new homes will be delivered across four buildings and will be a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom properties, providing options for all types of households. It has been designed by Hawkins\Brown, Mae Architects and JCLA Landscape Architects.

The partnership insists that the affordable homes will be provided at a discount to open market rates for rent and all residents will equally benefit from a range of on-site amenities. This includes the residents’ lounge, gym and a dedicated onsite Resident Services team.

In line with many other current developments, sustainability is described as being a core focus throughout the plans, with the development intending to optimise building performance with respect to energy, carbon, water and waste.

Furthermore, it will include solar panels and wildlife-friendly landscaping - and will also lead to more than 70 additional trees being planted across the development.

The designs also aim to 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.

The scheme is looking to encourage sustainable transport through ‘excellent public transport connections'. Cockfosters’ Grade II-listed tube station is on the doorstep – the last stop on the northern section of the Piccadilly Line – while multiple bus routes also serve the 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 aim to encourage walking and cycling. Additionally, the scheme has been designed to deliver a new dedicated pick-up/drop-off area, made up 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.

Although some of the publicly accessible car parking is being re-provided, the new homes themselves have been designed to be effectively car-free - with the exception of blue badge parking for residents and a car club space – to help 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.”

He added: “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, said: “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.”

Meanwhile, Adrian Day, on behalf of Better Streets for Enfield, said: “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.”  

Due to the capital’s acute shortage of quality rental properties and affordable homes, CLL was established in July 2019 with an ambition of creating London’s ‘leading mixed tenure rental communities, providing excellent service in a place where residents feel secure and at home’.

The Cockfosters development is the fourth of CLL’s schemes to be given the go-ahead at planning committee, following successful outcomes for 460 new rental homes in Southall, 139 rental homes in north Lambeth and 479 new rental homes above and around the new Nine Elms Tube station in Lambeth.

Together, these four schemes are set to deliver more than 1,400 new rental homes across London, with each scheme pledging to individually deliver 40% affordable housing, alongside industrial and commercial workspace and improvements for the local community.