An iconic building is set to be sold to developers as part of major redevelopment in Seven Sisters.

At a cabinet meeting yesterday councillors approved recommendations to sell Apex House on a long lease-hold to Grainger PLC, which has planning permission to develop the market buildings across the road.

However, Grainger faces opposition over their plans for the Wards Corner market from a community group that also has planning permission to develop the area.

Apex House will be sold directly to Grainger and will not be put up for open sale.

In a cabinet report, officers said there are “significant benefits to Grainger handling both the Wards Corner and Apex sites”, adding “the redevelopment of Apex House will begin the desired environmental and economic transformation of Seven Sisters".

The council said it will discuss the possibility of opening up the ground floor of the redeveloped Apex House to the market traders.

Recently unveiled plans from the developer show that it plans to build 39 per cent affordable homes in the Apex site and none in the Wards Corner site.

The cabinet agreed to work with Grainger on issuing Compulsory Purchase Orders to enable it to buy any land it had not been able to obtain amicably.

The Wards Corner Coalition, a volunteer run group made up of community stakeholders, is already resisting Grainger’s plans for the Wards Corner site.

The coalition believes even a temporary displacement of the market will threaten its future, and is battling various CPOs for shops in the area that would have to leave under Grainger’s plans.

Project leader Abigail Stevenson said: “Once you displace people from this area, there won’t be any customers to come back to.”

However, council cabinet members said that with the sale of Apex House to Grainger, market traders from the Wards Corner could be moved across the road.

Councillor Alan Strickland, cabinet member for regeneration and housing, said trader would be offered “a move into a purpose built market” on the ground floor of the site.

Councillor Claire Kober, leader of the council, added that the opportunity for the traders to move was a “public benefit” akin to affordable housing.

She said:  “To say that affordable housing is the only possible benefit to the community out of the scheme would be a mistake."

Apex House currently houses a Customer Service Centre (CSC), but the council says the building is “surplus to requirements” and plans to move the CSC up the road to Tottenham Green.

Cllr Strickland said that the moving the CSC was consistent with plans to make the Green “the civic heart of Tottenham”.