Plans for 162 homes on Arnos Grove Station’s car parks were originally approved four years ago but the development has since stalled, reports James Cracknell

The construction site at Arnos Grove and (inset) the plans by CLL — The construction site at Arnos Grove and (inset) the plans by Places for London

The development partnership behind a stalled housing scheme in Arnos Grove has admitted that it is still a long way from restarting construction.

Controversial plans for 162 homes on the car parks at Arnos Grove Station were approved by the government’s Planning Inspectorate on appeal in March 2022, overruling a decision by Enfield Council’s planning committee to reject the scheme in January 2021.

Places for London, Transport for London’s development arm, later won approval for amended plans in October 2024, which included a second staircase in the tallest seven-storey block, following new fire safety regulations being introduced.

At that time, having already completed enabling works on the site, Places for London claimed it was “in the process of appointing a main contractor for the next phase of works on site”.

However, with still no sign of work restarting on site, the Dispatch again approached Places for London, with a spokesperson this time saying that further regulatory updates and “changing market conditions” meant there was still no timeline for the homes to be constructed.

While the wait goes on, the tube station’s public car parks have now been closed for three years. Figures recently released under the Freedom of Information Act show that the car parks were previously generating around £380,000 in annual revenue for Transport for London.

A Places for London spokesperson said: “Places for London is working alongside Grainger to provide 162 new homes on land adjacent to Arnos Grove Tube station. The partnership – Connected Living London (CLL) – has started to deliver its proposals at Arnos Grove, and as noted, the first phase (enabling works) is now complete.

“However, changes to regulatory conditions, including the launch of new building safety requirements (Building Safety Regulations from 2024), as well as changes to market conditions, including rising material costs and employment costs, have affected the proposals’ designs and CLL is currently looking at alternative routes to deliver the 162 homes it received planning permission for.

“CLL has not appointed a main contractor following the considerations from the response above. Once a main contractor is appointed, the partnership will provide further details via the project website.”

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