Federation+-+other+info+-+HFRA+Update+(11.08)


 * HFRA Update - November 25th 2008 **


 * 1. Green space campaigners succeed in halting Tottenham land sell off**
 * 2. 200+ lobby planning committee to save Wards Corner**
 * 3. Mayor announces £3.8m boost to local transport in Haringey**
 * 4. Public access to businesses' loos demanded**

Green space campaigners succeed in halting Tottenham land sell off **
 * After 20 years of campaigning, the Council have agreed to give the Weir Hall Action Group and Community Action Sport an additional 6 months to secure the future of Bull Lane Playing Fields. The Fields are a green space under threat in North Tottenham which the Council own and wish to sell part of for housing. All residents and organisations are asked to back the campaign groups in their efforts - see contact details at end. More details are to follow soon...**


 * __From a previous Campaign statement, Sept 2008__** One of the last remaining sports playing fields that serve the people of Tottenham is now under real threat of being lost. Anyone who lives in Tottenham will know the dire shortage of open space in the east of the Borough. With the exception of the Frederick Knight Sports Ground in Willoughby Lane (which is booked to capacity) there are no other sports grounds left in the area other than Bull Lane Playing Fields. This must beg the question as to how Haringey Borough Council can consider destroying this only other remaining playing field that directly serves the people of Tottenham by building houses on it.

The information that is being provided by Haringey Borough Council to support the building application for Bull Lane Playing Fields and to persuade the people to accept their proposed decision to build on Bull Lane Playing Fields ignores important points that should be properly considered. Despite all their efforts the reality is that there are not any alternative outdoor sports facilities in the area. For Haringey Borough Council to pursue such a policy does without doubt destroy any green credentials that they must claim to have. What confidence can you have in their decisions? Why should Tottenham be asset stripped of its access to open spaces, more and more people are being crammed in the east of Haringey with less and less open space?

What kind of signal is the existing Haringey Borough Council (Labour) giving the youth of the Borough when, with the Olympic games in sight, they now want to destroy the very green fields the will be needed to produce participants.


 * There has already been put forward a proposal to save the site with the funds being raised through the Lottery and the Marathon Trust.** Building houses on the sports ground gains more money on a short term basis and fills a hole in the council`s budget to detriment of the future. Haringey Borough Council are due to make a decision (which we understand is to build on Bull Lane Playing Fields) at their Cabinet meeting at the Civic Centre, Wood Green on Wednesday 16th September 2008.

Support the campaign to save Bull Lane Playing Fields! Thank you for your support.


 * WEIR HALL ACTION GROUP - **THE COTTAGE, 703 HIGH ROAD, N17 8AD casport@btconnect.com 0208 801 8233


 * 200+ lobby planning committee to save Wards Corner **
 * - Despite mass opposition, Councillors vote to back private developer over the needs of the community and local traders**
 * - The Mayor of London has yet to give consent to the developer's controversial proposal**
 * - The residents/traders' own Community Plan application is still to be heard and could also be approved**
 * - Traders, residents and campaigners dig in for a long battle**

Despite a mass protest, challenges to the impartiality of Committee members, and detailed objections on planning grounds to the destruction of Wards Corner, Haringey Council's Planning Committee narrowly approved (by 5 votes to 4) Grainger plc's plans for Wards Corner on Monday 17th November.

In front of a packed public gallery, objections were voiced by all three local Councillors, the Conservation Area Advisory Committee and community representatives, reflecting the hundreds of objections received by the Council. The objections revealed that the proposal, with virtually no public support, would destroy a significant local heritage site, cause destruction of the increasingly vibrant and internationally famous latin american indoor market, and evict all the long-established small business in the area - all to create a gated 7-storey development of luxury homes with no social housing, and mainly 'clone town' corporate shop units. It was also pointed out that the current economic crisis, and the collapse of Grainger's share price, meant that their plans were unlikely to be viable and could lead to decades of blight at the site.

The Coalition of local residents associations, market traders and small businesses, in consultation with the local community (including calling the largest residents' meetings in Tottenham for decades), have developed a popular plan for the intelligent restoration and regeneration of the site ensuring that all the buildings of quality and local traders would be able to remain. For some reason, despite the Community Plan being formally submitted earlier than the Grainger application, the Committee has so far refused to consider it. The Chair of the Planning Committee allowed supposedly 'neutral' planning officers to make long speeches promoting the proposal, but refused to allow time for members to discuss the Grainger proposal together or to propose additional conditions if it was ever to go ahead.

Ruth Allen, representing the Wards Corner Community Coalition, said //'We will be continuing our fight for a better regeneration of Tottenham. After this, morally, we have no choice. This decision and the process by which it was reached show the contemptuous attitude of the Labour group in Haringey towards residents and small businesses. The Labour committee members asked virtually no questions and demonstrated no understanding of the matters before them. The chair had previously declared herself in favour of demolition on the site and has spoken openly of her contempt for the Latin American traders who will lose their market hall. Cllr Ray Dodds shouted xenophobic abuse at a resident in the gallery as one of his few contributions to proceedings. Haringey Council has a lot to worry about at the moment and their relationship with the people of Tottenham just took another turn for the worse.'//

The Wards Corner Community Coalition's alternative plan for the site, which has the backing of the local traders, local communities and the Princes Regeneration Trust, will be heard by the Committee soon.

//'THE FIGHT FOR COMMUNITY-LED REGENERATION OF TOTTENHAM GOES ON - THE BATTLE HAS JUST BEGUN'//

(opposite police station). //'Join us for a night filled with great food, live music and good company. . .Everyone welcome.'//
 * The Coalition is to meet the head planning advisor to the Greater London Authority on Wednesday 26th. The Mayor of London will be asked to refuse consent to the developer's controversial proposal, in line with promises he made during his election campaign. He will also be asked to impose conditions on any such development to prevent evictions and blight.
 * The local traders and residents are also considering legal action against the Planning Committee's procedure, decision and refusal to hear the Community Plan
 * They are calling on the Council, the NDC (regeneration body) and Transport for London to withdraw their support for the demolition plan.
 * The Coalition plan a Wards Corner Winter Warmer party on December 5th, from 8pm @ Tottenham Chances, 399 High Road, N17 6QN

//'WE WILL NOT BE EVICTED, WE WILL NOT BE MOVED, WE WILL RESIST SHOP BY SHOP, BRICK BY BRICK, PAVING STONE BY PAVING STONE!'//

Fri Nov 21, 2008
 * Mayor announces £3.8m boost to local transport in Haringey **

Funding and greater freedom over spending for Haringey to cut road deaths, improve town centres and cycling facilities, tackle the school run and carry out essential main road maintenance

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson today announced £3.8m of funding from Transport for London for Haringey to deliver local transport improvements during the financial year 2009/10.

As well as increasing next year’s local transport funding from TfL - up to £168.3m from £161m in 2008/09 ­ the Mayor also confirmed that London’s boroughs will have greater freedom in choosing local transport projects.

TfL has included £100,000 for the borough council to spend locally on transport as it chooses.

The £3.8m package will allow the borough to finance several schemes to improve local transport for residents including:

· £375,000 for the renewal of the carriageways and footways of West Green Road which are known to be currently in poor condition and will be renewed to correct any uneven surface, potholes and cracks. Pedestrians and vehicles will benefit from smooth, defect-free roads resulting in safer journeys in the borough.

· £50,000 towards key walking routes at Wood Green High Road/Turnpike Lane station/St Anne’s Hospital/Seven Sisters station. The improvements will mean better pedestrian access to several local amenities including leisure centres and schools. The scheme aims to encourage people to walk instead of taking short car trips.

· £20,000 to help fund the installation of four Electrical Recharging Points in the borough. They will provide an alternative energy source which aims to improve local air quality for businesses, residents, visitors and fleet operators by assisting in reducing CO2 emissions.

· £80,000 for cycle training and a bike doctor maintenance programme.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said:

"When I was elected I promised I would be different and give greater freedom to the Boroughs. This is why this year I have introduced a £100,000 award for Boroughs to spend as they choose. Boroughs are being given greater freedom to develop and deliver the schemes they want, which means more choice over a range of key local schemes to improve town centres and cycling facilities, tackle the school run and improve local roads’.

‘I am awarding Haringey a budget of £3.8m next year for local schemes that will make travelling safer, more accessible and more environment-friendly, helping to improve the quality of life for people across the borough.‘

Funding for local transport schemes is allocated each year by Transport for London in response to the applications from boroughs based on their Local Implementation [transport] Plans (LIPs). Funding is currently available for a wide range of programmes including road safety, maintaining borough roads, tackling the school run, improving walking, cycling and the local environment, making transport more accessible and measures to improve bus journeys.

Notes to editors:

1. Below is a table with a breakdown of Local Implementation Plan funding for Haringey:

20mph zones 375k Bus Priority 1,020k Bus Stop Accessibility 79k Education, Training, Publicity 25k Environment 70k London Cycling Network+ 316k Accessibility 70k Local Safety Schemes 560k Cycling 173k Principal road renewal 435k School Travel Plans 346k Town Centres 100k Travel Awareness 24k Walking 145k Work Travel Plans 10k Trial funding 100k

TOTAL: 3,848k

//HFRA note:// //The Community Toilet Scheme (see below) that the Residents Federation and the Forum for Older People have been pushing for is at last being investigated. It should lead to access to scores of free toilets in cafes, pubs and public buildings across the borough. There are still concerns that the existing public toilets also need to be maintained.//

nlnews@archant.co.uk 19 November 2008
 * Public access to businesses' loos demanded **

PEOPLE caught short while out and about in Haringey may be able to use toilets in cafes and restaurants - if the council has its way.

Haringey Council wants to work with businesses to make their toilets available for public use, Councillor George Meehan, leader of the council, has revealed.

He said: "Richmond [council] have done this deal with businesses that people can go in and use the toilets, I think we have a duty to look at that here. Everybody needs to use toilets now and again."

But a member of the Muswell Hill and Highgate Pensioners' Action Group shouted "disgusting" while others complained of the "sell-off" of public loos as he laid out the plan at a group meeting.

He responded: "The bottom line is toilets get abused. It's all very well to say you have these facilities but if people abuse them, Joe Public abuses them, you have to take this into account."

At the moment there are just eight public toilets operated across the borough.

In October the community and local government select committee called for local authorities to reverse a national decline in the number of public toilets - estimated at 40 per cent in the last eight years.

The committee recommended each borough develop a "public toilet strategy" in consultation with residents.

Dr Phyllis Starkey, chairwoman of the committee, said: "This will go a long way towards achieving the right of people to have accessible and clean toilets, wherever they live, work or visit.