By
Dana Gloger
A £10 million Charedi housing development and a new site for a Jewish special-needs school could now be under threat due to local residents’ concerns that the buildings would block out their light.
In March, the Agudas Israel Housing Association (AIHA) won planning permission to build on the site of the former Avigdor School in Stamford Hill, North London. The development is planned to consist of 29 flats and Side by Side, a special-needs school for Orthodox Jewish children, currently in temporary accommodation.
The plans have faced strong local opposition from the Avigdor Futures Campaign (AFC), a group of around 150 residents, since their inception.
This week the JC learned that AFC is considering taking out an injunction to stop the development. However, demolition on the site has already begun.
An email to AFC members, seen by the JC, says: “The idea is to take AIHA and Side By Side to court to get an injunction that will stop them building something that is big enough to cause this level of reduction in light to Arbor Court.
“They [specialist consultant surveyors] have advised us that there will be a significant reduction in light in the ground-floor flats... dropping from over 90 per cent of the floor area of the front rooms… to only 57 per cent.”
Ita Symons, chief executive of AIHA, said of the email: “It is nasty. But I’m not surprised, as the neighbours have talked themselves into a big frenzy over this development.”
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.