The council can counter that with conditions, and if necessary, legal obligations (S106s) ....of course if they're on the ball and can be bothered.
What can be a problem is an overall vision that eventually ties an area (or areas) together. This needs resources that cost, and largely fall on the council, plus by definition will probably span quite a time frame, people come and go and momentum and vision is lost.
N17 is lucky that Levy is a long term resident/tenant who wants the best for the area (and of course, by continuation, himself), he's genuine and I'd lean on him in a guidance/consultancy way (even if it's indirectly/unofficial). The evidence of him having the energy and stamina to stick with a long term vision/project and delivering in the face of numerous headwinds/bellends is compelling. Of course he wants N17 to become what he wants it to become, but I trust that would also be closely aligned to what the majority of locals would consider acceptable as well.
On scc someone said that spurs own some of the land that this was to be built on (they'd have had to do a compulsory purchase order as we did with archway). Dunno how true that is.