Wellington Gyratory Development Approved Despite Serious Pedestrian Safety Concerns
Haringey Council has approved the controversial proposal to build 14 flats and 2 houses on the Wellington Gyratory, the polluted, traffic-dominated roundabout at the junction of Archway Road, North Hill and the A1, despite strong objections from the Highgate Society and many local residents. The decision, taken unanimously by the Planning Committee on 6 November, has prompted serious concerns about how future residents – particularly children, older people and those with mobility challenges – will be able to cross safely from a site encircled by three very busy roads. The most alarming issue is TfL’s admission in the committee report that “there may be no crossing option due to the nature of the site.”
Haringey’s planning officers recognised that the development is viable only if safe pedestrian crossings are provided – yet there are currently no pedestrian crossings serving the site, and no firm commitment has been secured from TfL to deliver them.
To reach essential local services such as the Highgate Group Practice, local schools and Highgate Village shops, residents would have to navigate Bacons Lane: a hazardous three-lane route where pedestrians must dash between fast-moving traffic and heavy lorries. The developer’s Transport Assessment identifies only a potential crossing towards the Jewson’s business on Archway Road, which may help residents reach bus stops but offers no safe access to the wider community facilities they will rely on.
While a Planning Condition was attached to the approval stating that the “delivery of pedestrian access improvements associated with the development” must be in place before the site is occupied, this condition does not guarantee that safe pedestrian crossings will in fact be deliverable. It requires the developer to enter into an agreement – but neither the form of the improvements nor their feasibility has been established. Without TfL’s prior commitment that viable and safe crossings can be constructed, this condition alone is insufficient to address the fundamental safety issues.
Equally concerning is the absence of any assessment of how new crossings would affect traffic flows on this already congested gyratory. Local experience shows how delicate the traffic balance is: more than a decade ago, a simple Give Way sign at the end of North Hill had to be removed after it caused queues backing up along both North Hill and North Road.
Given the unresolved safety risks and the lack of any binding commitment from TfL, the Highgate Society believes the Planning Committee should have refused the application until a cast-iron guarantee has been secured that safe pedestrian crossings can and will be delivered – supported by full traffic modelling.
The Society will continue to press for these safeguards to ensure the safety of future residents and the wider community.
28th November 2025
