Planning committee backs plans for Angel Edmonton garage site development, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

*An image of how the temporary workspaces could look*

Disused garages on a housing estate in Edmonton will be turned into “low-cost” workspaces under plans approved by Enfield Council.

The scheme will create around 600 square metres of affordable space for start-ups, artists, craftspeople and other small businesses at Snells Park Estate, which has been earmarked for regeneration.

It has been made possible thanks to support from the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth Fund – a £70milion regeneration programme designed to support growth and community development.

The scheme involves replacing the garages’ doors and roofs and building five new two-storey buildings at the site, which is to the rear of one of the housing blocks on the estate.

Permission has been granted for five years, before the site is redeveloped as part of the wider regeneration of the Joyce Avenue and Snells Park estates – a scheme that could ultimately provide 2,000 new homes.

It is hoped the temporary workspaces will be an “incubator” for new businesses, with tenants moving out once they are able to hire employees and expand.

The plans include a cafe within a repurposed double decker bus, and a community space or meeting room. A new northern access gate will also be included, providing a pedestrian way through the site and connecting Grove Street to the offshoot of Snells Park.

Planning officers hope the scheme will reduce antisocial behaviour in the area while plans for the redevelopment of the estate move forward.

Members of the council’s planning committee unanimously approved the plans during a meeting last week.

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