Haringey Council has been accused of not dealing with "intolerable" issues created as developers building new homes in a historic area flout planning rules.

Mead Building Contractors has begun work building seven mews houses on a plot of land in Townsend Yard, which is in the Highgate Bowl, on behalf of 
developer Sean Meadows.

Despite warnings the scheme was too large and would damage the setting of Grade II-listed Shepherd's Cottage and block fire service access, planning permission was granted in November 2020 and a further listed building consent in September 2022.

Work has begun on the lower end of the site, with the two last remaining garages at the top demolished on March 3.

Neighbours say they have been documenting every time the builder breaches rules set when consent was granted.

They claim lorries are wrongly reversing into and out of the site, with deliveries taking place and staff working outside agreed hours.

In December, Haringey Council issued Mead with a breach of condition notice, which gave the company a month to submit a construction management plan and construction logistics plan.

The council said the documents were approved in June 2022 - before the notice was issued - but not whether any have been submitted since.

The notice stipulates that no development shall take place until the details of these plans are approved in writing by the local authority.

Residents say breaches at the site continue, no contact details on signs so people can contact the builder with concerns.

Peter Cassidy, a member of the Highgate Conservation Area Advisory Committee, said "big issues remain".

"It's intolerable for people in Townsend Yard and for people in the village who need to get to work and school. It's a daily grind up there," he said.

"The council said stopping work until all these things were done was 'not proportionate' as the developer would comply, but they haven't."

Planning consultant Nicholas Keeble wrote to the council this month saying "common sense did not prevail" when Haringey approved the development in November 2020.

He cited fire safety issues that would leave one historic building, the 17th century Shepherd's Cottage, 'boxed in' and inaccessible by firefighters in the event of a blaze.

He said: "Aside from fire issues, I remain astonished that Haringey Council granted planning permission knowing that Grade II-listed 36a Highgate High Street (Shepherd's Cottage) would be hideously compromised."

He slammed a planning officer's report stating that the scheme would "sufficiently preserve and in some ways enhance" the Highgate conservation area and not affect the setting of nearby listed buildings as being "as absurd as it is untrue".

And he said the council's behaviour towards Townsend Yard, from approving planning permission without properly assessing the impact to not enforcing condition notices, is a "potential dereliction of duty".

"In my opinion they are not dealing with it, it's an absurd situation," he added.

A council spokesperson said: “We are continuing to closely monitor the works with regular site visits.  We recently issued a formal warning to the developer for construction traffic breaching the conditions of the planning permission and have served a breach of condition notice.  

"If breaches continue, we will take further action."

MBC has been contacted for comment.